Daughter not trained for war-like situations: B'luru based family of Tehran varsity medical student
Bengaluru (PTI): The first evacuation flight from Iran that landed in New Delhi on Thursday morning comes as a ray of hope for the family members waiting for their loved ones to arrive.
The ones left behind are anxious and are panicking, so the Indian government must hurry with the evacuation, said a couple from Richmond Town in Bengaluru whose daughter is studying medicine at Tehran University of Medical Sciences.
In an exclusive interview with PTI Videos, Imran Mehdi, father of Fareehy Mehdi, said there was a blast very near to where his daughter was staying a couple of days ago.
"My daughter does not know how to survive in war-like situations. She is panicking so much already. So, I am requesting our Prime Minister and our External Affairs Minister to get all the Indian citizens stuck there as early as possible," said Shabana Mehdi, Fareehy's mother.
Imran said when he spoke to his daughter on June 13, he realised the gravity of the situation and tried to get her back immediately. "But I could find tickets only for June 15 in Air Arabia. By then, the airspace was already closed for commercial flights. So, she is stuck there," he added.
The couple also expressed their gratitude to the Indian government for moving their daughter to a "safer" place.
"We were told that a batch of students were moved to Armenia, which is about six to seven hours from where my daughter is staying. She is still in Iran though. We do not know exactly where she is, as we were told that it is being kept a secret for their safety," said the mother.
Stating that they have only been communicating through WhatsApp messages for now, Shabana said she is still worried about the safety of her daughter and spends sleepless nights.
"The internet connection is also not stable there. So, we are not sure how long this will also last," said Imran.
"It's been five days now since I made the last video call to her. It's a terrible state for a mother to be in. I speak on behalf of all the parents. There are 10,500 medical students and 4,000 other students from India there. So I request the government to evacuate them as soon as possible," added Shabana.
The first flight carrying 110 Indian students, who were evacuated to Armenia from war-torn Iran, landed in Delhi in the early hours on Thursday.
Amid escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, Indian students in Tehran were moved out of the city, 110 of them crossing the border into Armenia, through arrangements made by the Indian Embassy on Tuesday under 'Operation Sindhu'.
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Australia add Steve Smith as replacement for Hazlewood in T20 World Cup squad
Pallekele (PTI): Senior Australia batter Steve Smith was on Monday approved as replacement for the injured pacer Josh Hazlewood, hours before his side's must-win T20 World Cup match against Sri Lanka here.
Smith thus becomes the 15th member of the injury-hit Australia squad.
"Smith is named as a replacement for Hazlewood, who is now officially ruled out from participating in the tournament due to a calf injury. The team’s medical staff had hoped to have him fit in time to feature in the latter parts of the tournament but were unsuccessful," the ICC said in statement.
Smith had earlier been flown to Sri Lanka as cover for skipper Mitchell Marsh, who missed Australia's opening two matches due to a testicular injury.
The veteran batter trained with the squad on Sunday and is in contention to feature in the crucial clash.
Smith has not played a T20I since February last year but has been in good form in the format in domestic competitions.
In positive signs for the 2021 champions, Marsh too has returned to training. The skipper batted in the nets while also taking part in running and fielding drills on Sunday.
Australia’s World Cup campaign is hanging in the balance following their 23-run defeat to Zimbabwe, and they must beat Sri Lanka on Monday to avoid an early exit.
