*500 Kashmiri Students Among 600 Shifted to Mashhad from Qom, Evacuation Process Underway: JKSA* *Says Grateful to Prime Minister and External Affairs Minister for ensuring safe return of students arrived from Iran in Srinagar* Srinagar, June 19 (JKNS): The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association on Thursday said that approximately 600 Indian students including 500 from Kashmir have been safely shifted from Qom to Mashhad, a border city in Iran, amid the ongoing evacuation effort. Jammu and Kashmir Students Association national Convennor Nasir Khuehami told news agency JKNS that around 600 Indian students, including 500 from Kashmir, have safely reached Mashhad from Qom. This is the second group of students who were earlier relocated to Qom, where they stayed for three days. Their evacuation process is currently underway.” The Association further said, “Mashhad, a border city in Iran, is located approximately 1,000 kilometers from Qom, a journey that takes around 15 hours by road. The students are from various institutions, including Islamic Azad University, Iran University of Medical Sciences, and Shahed Beheshti University. From Mashhad, they are expected to be taken to Turkmenistan, from where they will likely board flights to Delhi tomorrow.” “We are maintaining constant communication with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Indian Embassy in Iran to ensure the safety and smooth evacuation of the students,” the Association added. On reaching nine students to Srinagar from Iran, Nasir expressed gratitude to Prime Minister and Minister External Affairs saying, we are Grateful to Prime Minister and External Affairs Minister for ensuring their safe return. Earlier yesterday, 94 Kashmiri students were successfully evacuated and arrived in Delhi from Iran. However, many had to make their own arrangements for the onward journey to Kashmir, with nine of them flying to Srinagar at their own expense. Students had complained about inadequate transport and appealed for flight arrangements, prompting Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to direct officials to arrange deluxe buses through the JKRTC. (JKNS)