Prayers and Uncertainty: Pakistani Students Evacuate Iran as Conflict Escalates
ISLAMABAD — For Muhammad Raza, a 23-year-old medical student from Pakistan, the morning of February 28 began like any other at Tehran University of Medical Sciences. That normalcy shattered with a deafening explosion. Joint US-Israeli strikes had begun, marking a rapid escalation in long-simmering tensions and plunging the Iranian capital into chaos.
"We knew it was a possibility, but nothing prepares you for the sound," Raza told Al Jazeera from an evacuation bus. "My first instinct was to run, then to call home." His story is one of hundreds, as Pakistan scrambled to repatriate its citizens from a conflict zone.
The Pakistani embassy in Tehran issued urgent instructions for its nationals to gather. By Saturday evening, hundreds had converged, carrying hastily packed bags. A convoy of five buses embarked on a perilous 20-hour, 1,500-kilometer journey to the border city of Zahedan, traversing a landscape under attack.
"The silence on that bus was heavier than any noise," recounted Muhammad Tauqeer, 24, another medical student. "No phone signals, just darkness outside and fear inside. We were just praying." The students learned mid-journey of the conflict's expansion, including retaliatory Iranian strikes and the reported death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—news that struck a profound chord for many.
Crossing into Pakistan through the Taftan border in restive Balochistan province brought relief, but not an end to the ordeal. Further arduous travel awaited. More critically, an uncertain future now looms for the nearly 3,000 Pakistani students Iran hosts.
"I'm a semester from finishing my MBBS. I can't let it slip away now," said Tauqeer, voice strained with fatigue. For Raza, with a year left, the question is whether return will ever be possible. "I need to go back," he said. "But realistically, I don't know."
The evacuation underscores the human cost of the expanding regional conflict, disrupting lives and education. As the students disperse to their hometowns, their immediate safety is secured, but the path forward remains fraught with anxiety.
Additional reporting by Saadullah Akhter in Quetta.
Voices & Reaction
Dr. Aisha Saeed, Education Policy Analyst, Karachi: "This is a tragic disruption for these young scholars. Beyond the immediate trauma, we must have contingency plans with Iranian universities to safeguard their academic progress—through remote learning or transfers. Their careers shouldn't be collateral damage."
Kamran Ali, Final-Year Engineering Student, Lahore: "My cousin was on one of those buses. Hearing his experience firsthand… it's a nightmare. It makes you question the stability of pursuing education abroad in today's geopolitical climate. Our government's response was good, but the prevention of such crises is where diplomacy has utterly failed."
Sarah Khan, Political Science Lecturer, Islamabad: "The evacuation was a necessary logistical success. However, it exposes our deeper dependency. Thousands of students go to Iran because of affordability and cultural ties. This crisis should prompt a serious national conversation about higher education capacity and diversification of options for our youth."
Javed Iqbal, Retired Diplomat, Commentary: "What did we expect? Sending students into an axis of resistance was always a gamble with their futures. Now the bill has come due. This isn't just about evacuation; it's a stark lesson in aligning educational pursuits with geopolitical realities. Sentiment is poor strategy."