CM urges UT students in Iran to return amid govt advisory
Inaugurates development projects worth Rs 84.41 cr in Ganderbal
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday urged students from the Union Territory studying in Iran to follow the Government of India’s advisory and return home while commercial travel remains operational.
In its latest advisory, the Embassy of India in Iran asked Indian citizens to “leave Iran by available means of transport, including commercial flights”, following protests held after 40-day memorials for those killed during anti-government rallies in January.
“I would tell them that please do not ignore this advisory from the Government of India, because it otherwise becomes an issue for us,” Abdullah told reporters in Ganderbal district.
He said the situation in Iran was currently stable, with airports open and commercial flights operating.
“I appeal to all the students and those who work there, who do not ignore this advisory, book your tickets and leave Iran,” he said.
“The Ministry of External Affairs has not issued this advisory unnecessarily. If, God forbid, the situation worsens, then it will be an issue for us as to how to evacuate them. So, I appeal to them to take the advisory seriously and leave from there,” he added.
Responding to a question on alleged harassment and eviction threats faced by Kashmiri students at CT University in Punjab, the Chief Minister said he would raise the matter with his counterpart.
“I will talk to the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on this. It must be the University’s doing, because the Government of Punjab has always supported Jammu and Kashmir. I can say with certainty that the Punjab Government will not allow this and the university will be asked about it,” he said, adding that any genuine grievance would be addressed.
Earlier, Abdullah inaugurated and laid foundation stones for development projects worth Rs 84.41 crore in Ganderbal, his Assembly constituency. The projects include town beautification works, road widening, installation of a CT scan machine at the district hospital and several water supply schemes.
