JKSA seeks EAM Jaishankar’s intervention as 200 Indian students stranded at Azerbaijan–Iran border

Srinagar, Mar 17: The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) on Tuesday urged External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to intervene and facilitate the safe evacuation of around 200 Indian students, including several from Jammu and Kashmir, stranded near the Azerbaijan–Iran border amid escalating tensions in the region.

National Convenor of the Association, Nasir Khuehami, said the students had travelled from different parts of Iran to the Azerbaijan border in the hope of crossing over for their onward journey to India. However, Azerbaijani authorities have reportedly closed the border and are neither allowing entry nor issuing transit permits, leaving the students stranded in distressing conditions.

He said the students were earlier advised to book flight tickets and submit their PNR details, with assurances that they would be escorted in batches across the border. Acting on these instructions, many booked flights for March 18, 19 and 21. However, delays in granting travel permissions have left them stuck near the border, uncertain about their departure.