Farooq, Mehdi Urge MEA to ensure safety of Kashmiri students in Iran
Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said Israel’s attack on Iran was totally unjustified as the Islamic Republic did not give any reason to the Jewish state to wage a war against it.
As far as I know, Iran did not give any reason to Israel to carry out attacks on it. Israel, of its own will, waged war against the country, calling it a preemptive attack, Abdullah told reporters here.
If the world powers remain silent on Israel’s aggression, it would be “very unfortunate”, Abdullah said.
Israel attacked Iran’s capital Tehran early Friday in strikes that targeted the country’s nuclear programme and raised the potential for an all-out war between the two bitter Middle East adversaries.
Today, Israel did what Russia did with Ukraine. You raise your voice against Russia, and a movement starts against Russia, but when Israel attacks Iran, the world powers — be it the US, Europe, or any other country — fall silent.
If an attack by a country, such as Russia, on another is wrong, the attack by Israel on Iran is totally unjustified,” Abdullah said.
The situation in the Middle East would escalate, and it would have an immediate impact on the world, the chief minister said.
It has an impact on our fuel prices, on our stock market, and on the flights that fly to the West. But, more than that, it has an impact on the sentiments of the people, he said.
The chief minister also requested the Ministry of External Affairs to ensure the safety of Kashmiri students in Iran.
Requesting @MEAIndia to urgently ensure the safety and well-being of Kashmiri students currently stuck in Iran. Their families are deeply worried, and we stand with them in this difficult time. Every step must be taken to safeguard our students, Abdullah said on X.
On Thursday’s plane crash in Ahmedabad, which killed 241 of the 242 people on board an Air India flight to London, Abdullah called it an unfortunate incident and expressed his heartfelt sympathies with the families of all those who lost their loved ones, including the crew members.
We hope the reasons behind the incident are known soon. We also hope such incidents do not happen in the future, he said.
Meanwhile, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Friday urged the Ministry of External Affairs to ensure the safety of Kashmiri students in Iran, which was attacked by Israel.
The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister also called on Israel and Iran to exercise restraint and avoid any further escalation.
“Every step must be taken to ensure the safety and well-being of Kashmiri students studying in Iran. Their families are deeply worried, and we stand with them in this difficult time,” he said.
Abdullah emphasised the importance of dialogue and diplomacy in resolving tensions between the two nations.
“Both sides must refrain from taking any escalatory steps. Existing channels of dialogue and diplomacy should be utilised to work towards de-escalation and address the underlying issues,” the NC president said in a statement.
Earlier in the day, the external affairs ministry said India is “deeply concerned” over the recent developments between Iran and Israel and is “closely monitoring” the evolving situation.
Moreover, National Conference (NC) Lok Sabha MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi on Friday said Israel is behaving like a “colonial thug” by attacking sovereign nations at will.
“Israel has now bombed Palestine, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and Iran, and still plays the victim. This rogue Zionist regime isn’t defending itself, it’s behaving like a colonial thug,” Mehdi said in a post on X.
The influential Shia leader said attacking sovereign nations at will “does not make you powerful, it makes you a terrorist state”.
Mehdi, the Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar, said Iran, like any sovereign nation, now has every right to defend itself and “take full, punishing revenge”.
“The Zionist regime should pay for its crimes in Gaza, for its bloodlust, for its massacres,” Mehdi said in the post.
In another post on X, Mehdi said India’s abstention in the UN General Assembly from a vote on a draft resolution that demanded “immediate, unconditional and permanent” ceasefire in Gaza reflects “shrinking of moral imagination”.
“India once stood tall among the post-colonial nations, defending the rights of the oppressed, including the Palestinian people. (Jawaharlal) Nehru was unequivocal in his support for justice in Palestine. Indira Gandhi upheld that legacy. What changed,” the Lok Sabha MP said.
“Today, India abstained from voting on the Gaza ceasefire resolution in UNGA. Nothing in Gaza has improved, if anything, the suffering has intensified.
“This is the ‘strategic autonomy’ we boast about? This day reflects a shrinking of moral imagination. An abandonment of global solidarity. And most tragically, a betrayal of our own history,” he said.
