Srinagar, June 19 :
A group of Kashmiri parents has appealed to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to intervene urgently after Turkmenistan authorities reportedly denied entry to a group of Indian students attempting to return home from Iran.
The students, who had travelled over 1,000 kilometres from Qom to Mashhad by bus, were stopped at the Turkmenistan border on what was supposed to be the first leg of their return journey to India.
According to parents, the students were taken to Mashhad under the arrangement of the Indian Embassy in Iran. However, Turkmenistan authorities reportedly refused entry on Tuesday, leaving the students stranded.
“All of them are now in Mashhad and have no clarity on what will happen next,” said, a parent from Srinagar. “Our children are being taken from one city to another, and they have not rested properly in the past six days.”
Parents expressed concern about the safety and well-being of the students, saying the current arrangements in Mashhad are not adequate for a prolonged stay.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
“Why were they taken to the border if there was no confirmation from Turkmenistan? We are not being given answers,” said another parent. “The situation has created panic among all of us.”
Most of the stranded students belong to Jammu and Kashmir. Their travel began in Qom, and since then they have been moved through multiple cities in Iran. Parents fear the uncertainty may put the students at further risk, especially amid growing tensions in the region due to the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict.
“We urge the MEA and the Government of India to take immediate steps to bring our children back safely,” said another concerned parent, whose daughter is among the students. “They are in a foreign country, exhausted and without a plan for evacuation.”
The MEA has not yet issued a public statement regarding the situation.(KNS)