NEW DELHI: A flight carrying 290 Indian students, primarily from Jammu and Kashmir, arrived at Delhi Airport from Mashhad, Iran, on Friday night after Tehran opened its airspace. The Indian government launched Operation Sindhu to safely transport its citizens from the Middle Eastern region amidst growing tensions between Israel and Iran.Indians, after arriving in New Delhi, expressed happiness and thanked the government for the evacuation flight. ne of the evacuees, Eliya Batool, said, “… I am unable to express what I am feeling right now. My family was very worried. In Iran, we were at ease, we were provided with a 5-star hotel and safety was provided to us. But after coming here, we feel at ease. Thank you so much Indian government. We did not face any issue there because our Embassy made everything easy for us...”Another one, Maulana Mohammad Saeed, said, “We are happy and grateful that we have been able to return home safe and sound. The situation in Iran is no good and we all know. Indian Embassy and our Ambassador made the evacuation process very smooth and safe…”Additional flights are expected later, with one from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, scheduled for 3 am, collectively bringing approximately 1,000 Indian nationals back home.“Heartfelt thanks to the Government of India, ministry of external affairs, and all concerned authorities for their timely intervention and support. A great relief for families who had been anxiously awaiting their return,” stated the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association.Iran demonstrated cooperation by permitting access to its airspace to support India’s evacuation mission.Indian authorities coordinated with an Iranian airline to transport students from Tehran to Mashhad before their departure.The evacuation was organised following recent aerial military exchanges between Iran and Israel.Prior to this, 110 Indian students reached Delhi on Thursday via Armenia and Doha.The Ministry of External Affairs commenced Operation Sindhu in the previous week.
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