Azerbaijan border shut for a week, hundreds of Kashmiri students left stranded in Iran

Srinagar, Apr 2: A group of Indian nationals, mostly medical students from Kashmir, remain stranded at Iran’s land borders with Armenia and Azerbaijan as the Iran-US/Israel conflict enters its second month. The students have urged the Government of India to take urgent and effective steps for their immediate repatriation.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Wednesday that it had facilitated over 1,170 exits through the two land routes since the conflict began. Briefing the media on April 1, the MEA said 1,171 Indian nationals — including 818 students — had been allowed to leave Iran, with 977 entering Armenia and 194 crossing into Azerbaijan. “From there, these residents of India have been flown back on commercial or arranged flights,” the Ministry said.

However, students on the ground paint a grimmer picture. Those brought from Qom to the Azerbaijan border say the passage of Indian nationals has slowed to a near halt. “Hundreds of us are stranded here, unsure of what lies ahead and in the dark about what is happening at the border,” a student told Greater Kashmir over a video call. She said Azerbaijani authorities were processing only about ten students per day — and even that trickle has stopped.

“No one has been permitted to pass through the border check post for the past one week,” she said. Several other students confirmed the halt. “This is causing great anxiety among us. We do not know when they will open the post again,” another student said.

For those waiting in Astara on the Azerbaijani side, the lack of coordination has further delayed onward flights to India. Students travelling via Armenia have faced repeated cancellations of onward travel tickets, adding to the uncertainty.

Student representatives have highlighted procedural delays and restrictions that have effectively stalled movement for extended periods. Dr. Mohammad Momin Khan, Vice President of the All India Medical Students Association (AIMSA), has urged the Indian Embassy in Tehran to intervene urgently.

An estimated 9,000 Indian nationals — the vast majority of them medical students from Kashmir — were in Iran when the conflict broke out. Although the MEA had issued an advisory asking them to leave at the earliest, many had initially ignored it, citing impending examinations. While several Indian nationals may still choose not to leave, those at the borders have been actively seeking evacuation and are growing increasingly desperate for answers.