War never spares you as a spectator. Although gunshot is heard from elsewhere, blood flows all over the globe. Then, there falls apart the lives and dreams of ordinary citizens. The concern over the escalation of tensions following Israel's attack on Iran has begun hitting home in our country as well. Just barely a week into the conflict, price hike has begun to be felt in the market. The new concern, beyond the social and economic issues stemming from the war, is the safety of Indians stranded in both countries. At least an estimated half a million Indians are in both countries; a good number of them are students alongside job seekers. Indians have taken over most of the jobs that came vacant in Israel following the mass dismissal of Palestinians in the wake of Gaza offensive. The Indian government has started efforts to safely evacuate Indians from both countries. The centre’s emergency intervention comes after both countries issued ultimatum to evacuate residential areas. It is reckoned that all citizens will have to flee Iran and Israel. Both countries have closed their airspace. The first group from Iran is reported to be arriving in Delhi tomorrow. This group includes students who crossed the border via Armenia. Efforts have also been made to evacuate to a safe place in buses Indian students studying at various universities in Tehran. The support of the universities has also been sought to make it possible. Indians in Israel have been directed to move to safer places.
The Indian embassy has said that at least twenty-five thousand people will have to be evacuated from Israel. India has good relations with both countries and is in constant touch with their foreign ministers. However it cannot be said how much of their promise to cooperate with evacuation will be fulfilled when the safety of their citizens itself is a question. Iran has announced that as its airspace is closed students can enter Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan by land. Two Indian students were injured in an attack in the Iranian capital of Tehran the other day. Following the closure of airspace in Israel, efforts are underway to evacuate Indians through the Jordanian and Egyptian borders. Other countries including Australia have also begun trying to evacuate their citizens from both countries. Embassies have urged all Indian citizens to follow social media pages, keep themselves to instructions and avoid unnecessary travels. Indian governments have successfully carried out evacuation of citizens in several previous occasions. One such mission led by erstwhile Union Minister K.P. Unnikrishnan during the Kuwait war remains a glowing chapter even decades later in the history of Indian foreign affairs. It also calls to mind the teamwork of former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in bringing back Malayali nurses stranded in Iraq. However, the government’s inaction at the time of Covid pandemic in bringing back those stranded in foreign countries is still a suffocating memory.
Many Indians already left for borderless world by the time the Vande Bharat Mission was launched much later. Baring some inappropriate interventions and claims made by some ministers, Operation Ganga for evacuating Indians from Ukraine was the most recent commendable rescue mission. However, the current situation in both countries is completely different from all these occasions. The conflict is so severe. Before the intermittent attack and counter offensive breaks out into a full-blown war, Indians must be brought home unhurt.