Stranded Indian students use Armenia, Azerbaijan to exit war-torn Iran, slow pace leaves parents anxious

Stranded Indian students, mostly from Kashmir, are being allowed to usage the duplicate routes of Armenia and Azerbaijan to exit the worn-torn state of Iran and caput for New Delhi. However, the dilatory gait has near respective parents anxious implicit their wards’ safety. 

Officials said astir 151 Indians person crossed Iran-Azerbaijan border to instrumentality to India successful the past 24 hours. Parents successful Kashmir person expressed restitution implicit the opening of the Azerbaijan route.

Iran-Israel war updates connected March 18, 2026

“Earlier lone those students whose aesculapian colleges were adjacent to Armenia managed to exit Iran. The Azerbaijan corridor could beryllium adjuvant successful the accelerated evacuation of stranded students. However, the gait is slow,” said Khalid Jamal, a comparative of the stranded student.

It’s for the archetypal clip since the diplomatic ties with Azerbaijan strained during the Operation Sindoor that India decided to scope retired to Baku to amended the relations. Indian officials successful 2025 believed Azerbaijan was supporting Pakistan’s subject operations. Meanwhile, officials said the 2 countries are successful interaction to code the contented of the stranded students.  

Official sources the gait of evacuation could beryllium dilatory due to the fact that Azerbaijan has restricted the numbers of those fleeing Iran, seemingly “to behaviour thorough checks”. Officials said astir 10 stranded nationals of a particular nationality are allowed to transverse successful a day. 

According to parents successful Kashmir, astir 250 Kashmiri students were stranded astatine the Azerbaijan borderline and galore were complaining of thorax infections and influenza. “Several students were not receiving medicine. Many bash not person wealth with them. A group of astir 18 students with tickets for March 14 was allowed. Besides, those having tickets for the 18th, 19th, and 20th were besides allowed. However, students with tickets for the 15th, 16th, and 17th stay stranded,” said Mr. Suhail Muzamil Qadri, begetter of a stranded student. 

Tracking the evacuation of the stranded, Dr Mohammad Momin Khan, vice president of the All India Medical Students Association (AIMSA), said, “Several students are stuck astatine the border. They are not being allowed to cross. Several person besides suffered fiscal losses arsenic their formation tickets went to discarded owed to the uncertainty.

Over 1000 students from J&K are believed to person enrolled successful antithetic nonrecreational courses successful Iran. Scores of students person returned to J&K successful the past fewer days.