Editorial | Safe Home, Thanks India

The arrival of Kashmiri students from war-torn Tehran is not simply a relief. It is a moment of pride, reflection, and profound gratitude. These children, most of them belonging to poor or middle-class families from Jammu and Kashmir, were stuck in a war zone thousands of miles away from home. But today, they have returned safely. And they owe their return to the Indian government, and in particular to the Ministry of External Affairs, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The images of Tehran in recent days were disturbing. There were military attacks, explosions, and power outages. No working ATMs, and scarcely any reliable communication. Our students were caught between. Many of them were medical students, studying for their futures in silence until war intervened. Their families back home in Kashmir were panicking. Some wept on camera, others prayed in secret, holding out for a telephone call. But it seemed hopeless.

It is simple to be forgotten when you are a Kashmiri student in a foreign country. But this rescue established something significant—that the Indian state, when it does something with seriousness, can defend all citizens equally regardless of where they are from. And in this situation, it did.

The process of taking them back home wasn’t a typical one. Tehran was not a destination where usual flights were able to land. Airspace was threatened. Nevertheless, India responded. Behind closed doors, there was a whirlwind of diplomacy. Long hours were put in by emergency teams in the Ministry of External Affairs. The Indian Embassy in Tehran remained open and vigilant. Flights were booked, clearances were applied for, and arrangements were made under immense pressure. It was not simple, but it was achieved—with care, planning, and dedication.

For this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi should be commended. He personally monitored the evacuation. He referred to the operation as “almost impossible.” He ensured it nonetheless. This is not the first evacuation under his tenure that has been done, but this one was unique. These were young Kashmiri students in the midst of a war situation, and their safe return is an extremely strong message.

This editorial is not written to applaud for the sake of applauding. It is written because these moments have to be noted. In Kashmir, we are accustomed to being overlooked. Our suffering goes unobserved. But this time, the government didn’t tarry. It didn’t question our identity or location. It just did what it had to do—as it should. That response has to be welcomed.

In Srinagar airport, that moment of reunion between parents and children will linger in our minds forever. Fathers embraced their sons close to their hearts. Mothers cried and touched their daughters’ foreheads. They had not slept for days. In that moment, politics vanished. Only humanity was left.

We also thank the unheralded workers behind this achievement—the pilots, the embassy officials, the officers who took late night calls from sobbing parents, the airport staff who welcomed back the returning students with warmth. These are the human hands of national endeavor.

But there is a lesson here as well. India has a large body of students overseas, and Kashmir contributes hundreds each year. We need an improved system of care for them. A special cell to monitor Kashmiri students in overseas nations, emergency hotlines, and faster communication can assist. Local district officials must be sensitized to guide families in such situations. Currently, families do not even know who to approach. That lacuna has to be filled.

Ultimately, let this rescue be enshrined not as a singular moment but as a commitment—that the Indian government will stand with its students wherever they are. Let Kashmiri parents believe, at least once, that the system did not fail them.

To the students, it is a second chance at life. They experienced fear and hopelessness. Now they are home. They have been forever changed. We pray that the government continues to stand by them as they heal and rebuild their lives.

To the MEA, to all the officials who worked on this, and to Prime Minister Modi, we say thank you. You ensured Kashmir’s children returned home.