New Delhi: Amid escalating hostilities between Iran and Israel, the Government of India has safely evacuated a total of 827 Indian nationals from Iran under its ongoing mission, Operation Sindhu. The evacuation effort was launched in response to rising concerns for the safety of Indian citizens in the conflict-hit region.
The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that the latest flight under the operation arrived from Mashhad, Iran, carrying 310 Indian citizens. The aircraft landed in Delhi at 4:30 PM on Saturday. Passengers, waving Indian flags and chanting “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”, were visibly emotional upon arrival, expressing relief and gratitude.
“I was afraid, but the place where we were staying was technically safe. When the Indian embassy took the initiative to evacuate us, we moved out safely to India. Hats off to the government,” one returnee told IANS.
Another evacuee, Qamar Jahan, said: “The government of India did a lot for us. We received good food with great care. Our stomachs were full and we had no trouble at all during the journey. PM Modi did a lot for us, and we will pray for him.”
Arun Kumar Chatterjee, Secretary (Consular, Passport, Visa & Overseas Indian Affairs) at the Ministry of External Affairs, noted earlier that the third evacuation flight carried around 290 passengers, including 190 from Jammu and Kashmir. “Their smiles are the biggest prize for us,” he said.
Chatterjee also expressed gratitude towards the Iranian government for cooperating in opening its airspace, and acknowledged Armenia and Turkmenistan for facilitating safe passage for the Indian citizens.
He reaffirmed that the safety and welfare of Indian nationals abroad continues to be the government’s top priority. Efforts are underway to bring back more citizens still stranded in Iran.
In parallel, India has opened communication with Israeli authorities to coordinate the safe evacuation of Indian nationals from Israel as well. “Very soon, flights will be arranged to bring our people back from Israel too,” Chatterjee confirmed.
With IANS inputs