Kashmiri students stranded in Kyrgyzstan await evacuation


Afaq Bhat

Srinagar, May 13: Kashmiri students stranded in Kyrgyzstan for the past two months are making desperate attempts to get themselves evacuated from there but it seems “no one wants to listen” to them.
A group of Kashmiri students from Kyrgyzstan told Precious Kashmir over phone that they have been left to fend on their own. “We have exhausted our resources. We are running short of money. Our colleges and varsities are closed. Our pleas to get us evacuated have no takers. We are facing a difficult situation and have nowhere to go. Please help us.”
They said that it has been more than 2-months since their educational institutions pulled down the shutters. “We have been hearing that Jammu and Kashmir administration has made special arrangements to airlift the stranded students from Bangladesh and other countries. Many have even landed in Srinagar.”
The student said that they have been making fervent appeals through different platforms but no one either from Kyrgyzstan administration or from the Government of India have responded. “It seems no one wants to help us and we are a forgotten lot,” they added.
According to these students there are nearly 10,000 Indian students in Kyrgyzstan. “All the Indian students, including us, have been trying to get in touch with our local governments. But our efforts have not yielded any results as no forward movement has been made vis-à-vis appointing Nodal Officers or any point-men, who can facilitate our evacuation,” they added.
It’s not Kyrgyzstan only where Kashmiris are stranded and are awaiting help. Kashmir has been receiving messages from the people in Gulf countries also. “Many of us have lost our jobs as our contracts have been terminated by the companies in which we were working. Please pull us out from here,” a netizen, hailing from Kashmir, had written on his facebook page.
The outbreak of COVID-19 has rattled the entire world. People have lost their jobs, students are unable to attend their colleges as this pandemic has not spared any part of the world. Everyone is trying to reach his native place.
An analyst while talking to Precious Kashmir said, “J&K administration has done a wonderful job by facilitating the return of the stranded people. The helmsmen need to take the note of the places from where people are demanding evacuation.”
He said, “Till date thousands of travelers have arrived in the Valley and lot more are expected to reach in coming days. Some more effort can bring these stranded students and the others who are in distress in foreign countries back. All these people are trying their best to ensure that someone takes note of their plight and brings them back.”

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