Doda Aids Students Stranded in Iran, UAE Envoy Reassures Indian Diaspora

Officials have confirmed that 5 students from Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district remain stranded in Iran amid the ongoing regional crisis, while 1 student has returned home.

Deputy Commissioner of Doda, Krishan Lal, while speaking to ANI, said, "We conducted an exercise to know how many students of Doda district are stuck in Iran. Out of the 6 students, 1 came back on 27th, and 5 were stranded. The Ministry of External Affairs shared us some contact numbers, which we have shared with the parents, who can ask their kids to get in touch with the Indian Embassy. I assure the public that the district administration is always there to address genuine grievances of the public..."

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, assuring the safety of the large Indian community in the United Arab Emirates amid the ongoing tensions in West Asia, UAE Ambassador to India Abdulnasser Jamal Alshaali said that the Indian diaspora in the Gulf nation is safe and cared for, highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's direct engagement with the UAE leadership during the situation.

Alshaali said Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally contacted UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan soon after concerns arose, reflecting the strong ties between the two nations and the importance both countries attach to the well-being of the nearly four million Indians living in the UAE.

"They were watching the place where their son works, where their daughter lives, where their family has built a life. And Prime Minister Modi's response to that reality was immediate. He called His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the UAE, directly," Alshaali said.

He added that PM Modi's move demonstrates the Indian leadership's close monitoring of the situation and its active engagement with the UAE authorities regarding the safety of Indian nationals.

"The four million Indians living in the UAE deserve to know that their Prime Minister was personally engaged, personally watching, and personally in contact with the leadership of the country they call home," he said.

Addressing Indian families concerned about their relatives in the UAE, the Ambassador delivered a direct message of reassurance, stating, "To the mother in Kerala watching the news at midnight, and to the father in Gujarat refreshing his phone waiting to hear from his son in Dubai, let me be extremely clear: Your family in the UAE is not alone. They are safe, they are cared for, and they are considered family by the leadership of this country," he said.

Earlier this month, the All India Medical Students Association (AIMSA) received more than 18 distress calls from Indian students stranded in Iran, particularly from Isfahan, where Indian medical students are currently staying, the student's body said on Sunday.

The student medical association said that they received reports about students moving underground into a basement after an attack near Darvaze-ye Shirazi, close to their hostel. Distressing calls were again received in the night, March 7 and in the morning, March 8, as the situation remains tense.

Students from Qom, including those studying at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, and Iran University of Medical Sciences, reported that they were relocated after nearby residential buildings were targeted, leaving many students extremely frightened, the release stated.

- ANI