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India Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
How Kashmir's aspiring doctors demand rescue from an alien war
As missiles fly overhead and smoke billows from the ruins all around, all that Moin Mushtaq, a third-year MBBS student at the Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences holed up with six colleagues in a deserted dormitory, can see through the smashed windows are scenes of agony and devastation caused by the Israel-Iran conflict. 'This is hell, literally, with power outages and the internet going down,' the 22-year-old medical student from north Kashmir's Kupwara says on the phone late in the night on June 16, trying to speak over the noise of a missile attack on Iran's Ahvaz city. 'We're the only ones left behind. The locals and students from UAE and Pakistan have been evacuated.'Iran caters to a modest chunk of Kashmiri students—around 1,500 by unofficial estimates—mainly because the Valley's significant Shia population finds a cultural resonance of sorts in the Shiite-dominated Islamic Republic and students seeking an overseas education find its offerings affordable, especially in medicine, often with attractive scholarships. Now, with the Iran-Israel conflict spiralling into a full-blown war, Mushtaq's doctor dreams are teetering on the brink as he desperately seeks evacuation to India. 'We've been weeping and calling the Indian embassy for help but they only tell us to wait or travel 1,500 kilometres on our own to safety. How can we cover such a distance with the missiles, shells and drones over our heads?' he are four Kashmiri female students in the nearby girl's dormitory. Their internet is down; there is no electricity and the only line of communication is the phone—also in its last gasp as the recharging facilities are in ruins. Students in Ahvaz say the attacks are now directed at the city as it is the hub of oil-refineries and Iran's energy centre. 'We're counting our days, and each one feels like a year as we stare at our phones for help to come our way,' says another student in university, students say, is now making them sign an undertaking that they are staying in the dormitory even after all the academic activities have been shut. According to the declaration, a copy of which is with India Today, the students' decision to stay back is their own and the university is not accountable for Capital city Tehran has been the worst-hit due to Israeli missiles so far. Two Kashmiri students ended up with injuries to their arms and legs and scratches on their faces after a shell landed in the street beside the Hujjat Dost dormitory of the Tehran University of Medical Sciences on the evening of June the nearly 10,000 Indian citizens in Iran, in 2022 there were around 2,050 students, mostly in the medical domain, according to Ministry of External Affairs data. Since June 16, the Indian government has set the evacuation process in motion, prioritising the relocation of students from Tehran to the Qom and Ramsar cities 150-250 kilometres away. In Qom, over 600 students have been assembled in big halls with no connection to their families as the internet is unavailable.'We don't want to be huddled like this here while fearing for our lives,' says a 21-year-old medical student. 'No place is safe here. Our parents are worried and we just want to be home. The government should arrange special flights for us like it did during the Russia-Ukraine conflict.'Not everyone, though, can afford to return home. Many students, nearing the completion of their degrees, are desperately praying for a ceasefire to prevent their careers from plunging into uncertainty. 'I'm in my last year of MBBS and a ceasefire could save my career,' says Aayat, a third-year MBBS student at the Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran, who was relocated to Qomb on the evening of June 16. 'Otherwise, no one knows what the future holds.'advertisementThe considerable number of Indian citizens, especially students, are keeping India's evacuation efforts racing against time as Iran and Israel pummel each other with missiles and drones in a major conflict that shows no signs of ebbing. Back home in Kashmir, the panicking parents are requesting the government to facilitate their children's return. 'Please evacuate our children. They've been getting panic attacks,' says a weeping Rehana, whose daughter studies medicine at the Shahid Beheshti University. 'They're having sleepless nights and we here lie helpless and in distress.'On June 16, a group of parents held a demonstration at Srinagar's Pratap Park, opposite the Press Enclave, seeking speedy evacuation of their children from Iran. In a statement on June 17, the Ministry of External Affairs said the Indian students have been moved out from Tehran, while advising other Indian citizens in the capital city to move out in view of the 'developing situation'. Some Indians, it said, have been facilitated in leaving Iran through the Armenian border from where, say sources, a direct flight to India will be to Armenia via the border route are 110 students, including 90 Kashmiris,' says Nasir Kheuhami, national convenor of the Jammu Kashmir Students Association (JKSA). 'We're in touch with all the stranded students on WhatsApp groups.'' On June 16, the JKSA wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, appealing for 'urgent intervention and evacuation' of students in the wake of a 'humanitarian emergency'.While the Union ministry has set up a round-the-clock control room for the Indian citizens in Iran, the J&K government has also set up one in Srinagar. Chief minister Omar Abdullah has spoken to external affairs minister S. Jaishankar for the 'welfare and safety of Kashmiri students' in Iran. 'The Hon Minister assured me that @MEAIndia is in close contact with their counterparts in Iran & will take all necessary steps to safeguard all Indian students in Iran,' Abdullah said on X on the evening of June relocation efforts, since the morning of June 17, have been heightened by the Indian Embassy in Iran but there are still many, especially in high-risk areas in the outlier cities, awaiting help. Questions also loom over the government's evacuation plans for its citizens in the conflict-torn had stocked some eggs, potatoes and lentils that will last two more days,' says Mushtaq, stranded with his six colleagues in the dormitory. 'We have nothing to survive on thereafter.' Subscribe to India Today Magazine
The Sun
10-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Iran hangs nine convicted jihadists: judiciary
TEHRAN: Iran has executed nine men convicted of plotting to carry out attacks inside the country in 2018 on behalf of the Islamic State group, the judiciary said on Tuesday. 'The death sentences of nine members of the terrorist group Daesh were carried out after confirmation by Iran's Supreme Court,' the judiciary's Mizan Online news outlet reported, using the Arabic acronym for IS. They 'had planned to carry out terrorist attacks against civilians in Iran', it added. The nine were arrested following a deadly clash with a Revolutionary Guards patrol on Iran's western border in January 2018. 'This terrorist cell intended to infiltrate Iran and conduct simultaneous attacks in border and central cities,' Mizan quoted Guards ground forces commander General Mohammad Pakpour as saying at the time. Guards units, supported by intelligence officers, tracked the suspects down and captured them in a deadly exchange of fire in the western mountains in which three officers were killed. 'Some of the terrorists blew themselves up with suicide vests,' Pakpour said. 'Three of our forces were martyred during the operation.' Equipment seized included machine guns, grenades, thermal cameras and large stockpiles of ammunition. Judicial officials said the men were charged with waging war against God -- a capital offence in Iran -- through armed rebellion, terrorism and illegal possession of military weapons. 'The defendants were given a fair trial with legal representation and were sentenced based on evidence, confessions and witness testimonies,' Mizan said. The Tehran Revolutionary Court handed down the death sentences, which were later upheld by the Supreme Court. 'The judiciary's resolve to confront terrorism remains firm,' Mizan said. Shiite-dominated Iran is a major target for the Sunni extremists of IS. Iran regularly announces arrests of suspected IS members accused of plotting attacks. On Sunday, police said they had detained 13 suspected members of the group in coordinated raids across four provinces. Last month, Iran executed a man convicted of spying for Israel. Iran is the world's second most prolific executioner after China, according to human rights groups including Amnesty International.
Hindustan Times
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Iran hangs nine convicted Islamic State members
Iran has executed nine men convicted of plotting to carry out attacks inside the country in 2018 on behalf of the Islamic State group, the judiciary said on Tuesday. "The death sentences of nine members of the terrorist group Daesh were carried out after confirmation by Iran's Supreme Court," the judiciary's Mizan Online news outlet reported, using the Arabic acronym for IS. They "had planned to carry out terrorist attacks against civilians in Iran", it added. The nine were arrested following a deadly clash with a Revolutionary Guards patrol on Iran's western border in January 2018. "This terrorist cell intended to infiltrate Iran and conduct simultaneous attacks in border and central cities," Mizan quoted Guards ground forces commander General Mohammad Pakpour as saying at the time. Guards units, supported by intelligence officers, tracked the suspects down and captured them in a deadly exchange of fire in the western mountains in which three officers were killed. "Some of the terrorists blew themselves up with suicide vests," Pakpour said. "Three of our forces were martyred during the operation." Equipment seized included machine guns, grenades, thermal cameras and large stockpiles of ammunition. Judicial officials said the men were charged with waging war against God -- a capital offence in Iran -- through armed rebellion, terrorism and illegal possession of military weapons. "The defendants were given a fair trial with legal representation and were sentenced based on evidence, confessions and witness testimonies," Mizan said. The Tehran Revolutionary Court handed down the death sentences, which were later upheld by the Supreme Court. "The judiciary's resolve to confront terrorism remains firm," Mizan said. Shiite-dominated Iran is a major target for the Sunni extremists of IS. Iran regularly announces arrests of suspected IS members accused of plotting attacks. On Sunday, police said they had detained 13 suspected members of the group in coordinated raids across four provinces. Last month, Iran executed a man convicted of spying for Israel. Iran is the world's second most prolific executioner after China, according to human rights groups including Amnesty International.
Business Recorder
19-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Saudi airline resumes first Iran Hajj flights since 2015
RIYADH: A Saudi airline has resumed flights for Iranian Hajj pilgrims to the kingdom for the first time in a decade, the latest sign of the warming ties between the countries. 'Flynas resumed Iranian pilgrims flights from Imam Khomeini (airport) in Tehran on Saturday,' a Saudi civil aviation authority official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. The official said flights would also be added from Mashhad in Iran, allowing more than 35,000 pilgrims to travel to Saudi Arabia on the airline. Flynas is a budget airline based in Saudi Arabia, which operates domestic and international routes. The official stressed that the flights were not commercial and were only for the hajj pilgrimage. The hajj is due to begin during the first week of June, and pilgrims from across the globe have already begun pouring into Saudi Arabia. Shiite-dominated Iran and Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia resumed relations in March 2023 under a surprise China-brokered deal after a seven-year rupture. Saudi Arabia severed relations with Iran in 2016 after its embassy in Tehran and consulate in the northwestern city of Mashhad were attacked during protests after Saudi Arabia executed Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. No Iranian pilgrims were allowed into Saudi Arabia in 2016, the year that ties were ruptured, as the two sides were unable to organise a protocol for them to attend. In September 2015, a stampede during the hajj killed up to 2,300 worshippers, among them hundreds of Iranians.
Rudaw Net
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Maliki calls for ‘separate' revote on three controversial law amendments
Also in Iraq Iraq strikes suspected ISIS hideout in Salahaddin Iraqi finance minister says 'surprised' by president's lawsuit Iraqi ministry says Syria border 'completely secured' Iraqi president sues premier, finance minister over unpaid KRG salaries A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Former Iraqi prime minister and head of the State of Law coalition Nouri al-Maliki on Sunday called for separate revotes on three controversial bills passed last month. Referring to the general amnesty, the property restitution and the personal status laws, Maliki argued that they were 'not legislated correctly' and ought to be 'returned to the parliament and voted on separately.' Amendments to these three laws were introduced in parliament last year and after months of political bickering, the Iraqi legislature on January 21 passed all three in a surprise move. Maliki criticized the passing of all three bills in one go. In an indirect reference to the general amnesty law, the veteran politician argued that the one-basket voting led to 'the passage of a problematic bill' with other legislations that are valid. The general amnesty, introduced by Sunni lawmakers in the Iraqi legislature, amends the 2016 law's interpretation of affiliation with terrorist organizations. The amendment was a top prerequisite for Sunni blocs to join the ruling State Administration Coalition. Sunnis argue that thousands from their community have been unjustly imprisoned since 2003 in Shiite-dominated Iraq, over alleged terrorism links. Maliki insisted however that his objection was not to the release of 'innocent individuals or those who committed minor offenses,' but rather the potential consequences of this legislation. Moreover, the three laws have recently emerged as a topic of contention between the country's top judicial authorities. The Federal Supreme Court suspended the implementation of the laws after several legislators questioned the voting process. The Supreme Judicial Council criticized the top court's decision as premature. In light of the ongoing dispute, Maliki urged all sides to 'respect and adhere to the rulings of [both] the Supreme Judicial Council and the Federal Supreme Court.'
