India / 6,000 Indians stranded in Iran, efforts on to bring them back: Jaishankar

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday said as many as 6,000 Indians are in Iran and the initial focus is to bring back Indian pilgrims stranded in the coronavirus-hit region.

Making a statement in Lok Sabha, Mr. Jaishankar assured that India is equipped to handle the coronavirus pandemic, and appraised the House on the situation of Indian nationals in Iran and Italy.

Reiterating that travelling in itself is not recommended, the Minister said that India is effectively addressing the problem by reacting responsibly and soberly to address the problem without spreading panic. “Excessive sense of alarm would only be top detriment,” he said.

With regard to the situation in Iran, Mr. Jaishankar said that the embassy and Consulates have reached out to the Indians in the country to ensure that they have access to adequate provisions. “There are around 6,000 Indian nationals in various provinces of Iran, of which around 1,000 are pilgrims from Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. Around 1,000 are fishermen from Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, and 300 are students — most of them studying medicine, and hence aware of precautions to be taken — from Jammu and Kashmir,” said the Minister. “The province in which the fishermen are concentrated have not been much affected by the virus,” he added. He assured that the government will facilitate the safe return of the Indian nationals.

The “initial focus is on bringing back pilgrims, mostly stranded in Qom”, he said, adding the government is also working with Indian authorities to look at the possibility of operating limited commercial flights.

To help manage the medical situation, six doctors were sent. As many as 108 samples were taken in the first round of testing, and 529 in the second round, he said, adding that he had visited the parents of some of the students from Srinagar and reassured them.