File photo: Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah and National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah
JAMMU/SRINAGAR: Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah and National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Thursday said the UT government is in touch with the Centre to evacuate Kashmiri students, mostly medical students, stranded in Iran.Both urged Muslims livid over the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to express their anger peacefully. Omar said officials have been asked to allow people to express their condolences peacefully in mosques, shrines and imambaras.“But (anti-social) elements trying to disturb the atmosphere in J&K should not be allowed to take advantage of the situation,” said the CM, who held a meeting with civil society members, including Shia religious leaders on Wednesday, and called for maintaining peace and harmony.
Ahead of protests on Friday, authorities have reduced mobile internet speed and suspended prepaid internet services across Kashmir. Police said Lal Chowk in Srinagar has been sealed off.Stating that efforts are on to evacuate students stranded in Iran, Farooq said, “Most of them have been moved to safer places within Iran. They will be flown home.”He urged the international community to work towards de-escalating the situation. “It is wrong to invade any other country… If the situation is not handled carefully, the escalating tensions could even trigger a wider global conflict,” Farooq said.JKSA national convener Nasir Khuehami said they are in constant communication with some of the stranded students who, he claimed, said several blasts have occurred near their residences. “We have urged external affairs minister S Jaishankar to immediately facilitate the evacuation of Indian students stranded in Urmia through the Armenia border,” Khuehami said.Aga Syed Muntazir, PDP MLA from Budgam, which has a large Shia population, said they have urged the govt to release those arrested in the past five days.
