PM Modi's priority has always been to evacuate students first: J-K Waqf Board Chairperson on safety of Indians in Iran

Pulwama (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], January 16 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board Chairperson Dr Darakhshan Andrabi on Friday expressed confidence in the Centre's efforts to evacuate students from Iran, citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's priority to ensure no child is left behind in conflict zones.
"Since our Prime Minister took office in 2014, his priority has always been to evacuate students first from any conflict zone, ensuring that no child is left behind. Therefore, I don't think any Indian children will face any difficulties," Andrabi told ANI.
This statement comes as India prepares to evacuate its nationals from Iran amid protests and tensions with the US.
Notably, the Ministry of External Affairs, in a weekly media briefing on Friday, stressed that it is closely tracking developments and "committed to doing whatever is necessary for their well-being."
Providing details, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "Approximately 9,000 of our citizens are currently residing in Iran. The majority of them are students. In light of the recent developments there, we have issued two or three advisories."
MEA issued an advisory urging Indian citizens to avoid travel to Iran until further notice and to leave Iran immediately via available commercial flights.
Elaborating on the advisories, Jaiswal said, "In these advisories, we have advised our citizens in India not to travel to Iran at this time, and we have advised Indian citizens residing in Iran to leave the country by whatever means are available."
"We are keeping a close watch on the situation there, and as far as our citizens are concerned, we are committed to doing whatever is necessary for their well-being," he added, amid rising regional tensions linked to Tehran's crackdown on nationwide protests that have reportedly killed hundreds, and concerns over possible US intervention.
An advisory issued by the Indian Embassy in Tehran asked Indian nationals, including students, businesspeople, pilgrims and tourists, to depart Iran through available means of transport, including commercial flights, citing the "evolving situation".
Alongside this, another advisory issued by the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi strongly advised Indians to avoid travel to Iran until further notice in view of ongoing developments. It reiterated an earlier advisory issued on January 5, urging Indians in Iran to remain cautious and avoid participating in protests or demonstrations.
The advisories were issued against the backdrop of repeated warnings by US President Donald Trump, who has threatened military intervention if Iranian security forces kill protesters.
In its advisory, Indian nationals were also asked to keep travel and immigration documents, including passports, readily available. Indians living in Iran on resident visas were advised to register with the Embassy.
The protests began at Tehran's Grand Bazaar on December 28 over the Iranian rial's record fall in value and later spread into nationwide demonstrations. The decline in the currency followed multiple crises, including unprecedented water shortages, power outages, rising unemployment and surging inflation.
This is not the first time that the Centre evacuated Indian nationals from the conflict zone. In June 2025, it launched 'Operation Sindhu' to evacuate Indian nationals from Iran through Armenia as fears of an all-out Israeli-American military strike on Iran increased.
In 2023, it launched Operation Kaveri in Sudan to evacuate Indians during military clashes. In 2023, it announced Operation Ajay in Israel to evacuate citizens during the Israel-Hamas conflict.
During Operation Ganga in 2022, India safely brought back over 22,000 Indians, mainly students, from Ukraine via Romania, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia, highlighting India's diplomatic strength and humanitarian response.
During Operation Devi Shakti in Afghanistan, it evacuated citizens after the Taliban takeover in 2021. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, it announced Operation Samudra Setu, a sea evacuation of Indian nationals (Vande Bharat Mission). In Operation Raahat in Yemen during 2015, they evacuated during the civil conflict and in Operation Safe Homecoming in Libya, the evacuation was done during the Arab Spring civil war in 2011.
These operations showcase India's efforts to bring back citizens from conflict zones. (ANI)