Ganderbal, Feb 24 : Omar Abdullah on Tuesday urged students and workers from Jammu and Kashmir residing in Iran to adhere to the advisory issued by the Ministry of External Affairs and return home, saying it should not be ignored despite the situation there being “normal” at present.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, the chief minister said airports in Iran were open and commercial flights were operating, but the advisory had been issued for a reason.
“My request to all the students and people working there is not to ignore the Government of India’s advisory. Get your tickets and come out of Iran. If the situation is good, you can go back. But the Ministry of External Affairs has not issued this advisory without reason,” he said.
He warned that any deterioration in the security situation could make evacuation difficult later.
“God forbid, if the situation worsens in the future, it will become a problem for us to get them out,” Abdullah said.
Earlier, the chief minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of development projects in the district and distributed sanction letters among youth under various self-employment schemes.
Abdullah said he was unable to visit the district earlier due to the Assembly session in Jammu.
Responding to demands regarding staff shortages in various departments, he acknowledged vacancies in revenue, health and education sectors, saying the issue was not limited to Ganderbal but across Jammu and Kashmir.
“We are trying to address it, but it cannot be resolved overnight,” he said.
On reports of Kashmiri students facing difficulties at a university in Punjab, Abdullah said he would take up the matter with the state government.
“I will speak to the chief minister. The Punjab government has always supported Jammu and Kashmir and I am confident the issue will be addressed,” he added.
The chief minister also urged youth to register themselves at the Physical Education College to make use of the newly constructed synthetic track facility. (KNS)
