New Delhi, Jun 19 (PTI) — The haunting recollections of Mir Khalif, an MBBS student freshly evacuated from war-torn Iran under Operation Sindhu, echo the harrowing reality faced by many. "We saw missiles in the sky and heard bombs in our neighborhood... We were petrified," he shared, his voice quivering as he stepped out of Delhi airport early Thursday morning, a culmination of an arduous journey to escape the escalating Iran-Israel conflict.
The first evacuation flight, carrying 110 students including 90 from Jammu and Kashmir, marked the Indian government's proactive response. The students had been moved earlier to Armenia amidst the chaos enveloping Iranian cities, thanks to coordination by the Indian Embassy. Khalif expressed deep gratitude to the Indian authorities for orchestrating their rescue from the war-like nightmare in Iran first to Armenia, then safely back to their homeland.
"We saw missiles and heard bombings. It was a war zone. Our building shook during the attacks. I hope no student has to face what we did," he recounted. "There are students still stuck in Iran. They are being relocated to safer places. We hope they will also be airlifted to India soon," he added.
Fellow student Varta from Kashmir shared her own terrifying experience, acknowledging the critical condition they were in before the timely intervention of the Indian government. "Our neighborhood was attacked. When the Indian government came to our doorstep, it felt like home," she shared with PTI Videos.
Ali Akbar, another student from Delhi, remarked on the stark destruction all around. "We saw a missile and a drone fall from the sky while traveling in a bus. Tehran is in ruins. The images on the news are real, the situation is very bad," he said.
Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh was present to personally welcome the students at the Delhi airport. In a subsequent post on X, Singh remarked, "Warmly welcomed home the first group of 110 Indian nationals evacuated from Iran as part of Operation Sindhu, reaffirming India's steadfast commitment to the safety and well-being of its citizens abroad."
Singh confirmed ongoing evacuation efforts under Operation Sindhu, with more flights in the works. "We have planes ready. We will be sending another plane today. We are evacuating some more people from Turkmenistan. Our missions have opened 24-hour helplines for any request for evacuation. As the situation evolves, we will be sending more planes to evacuate Indian nationals," he noted.
The Union minister extended his gratitude to the governments of Turkmenistan and Armenia for their support. Onlookers at the Delhi airport, including anxious parents, awaited the safe return of their loved ones.
Haider Ali, father of MBBS student Maaz Haider, expressed a bittersweet relief, saying, "We are happy and grateful, but our hearts are still heavy knowing that many students are still stuck in Tehran. We urge the government to bring them back too." Parvez Alam from Bulandshahr, whose son was in Urmia, added, "We were under constant stress. The students were shifted to Armenia and looked after well. We thank the government for this."
The Jammu and Kashmir Students' Association voiced gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for their evacuation efforts. "We remain hopeful that all remaining students will be evacuated soon," stated the association.
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