India on Wednesday evacuated 75 Indian nationals, including 44 pilgrims from Jammu and Kashmir, from Syria in the aftermath of the takeover of the capital Damascus by rebel forces this week.
All the Indian nationals safely crossed over to Lebanon and are set to return to India by commercial flights, the external affairs ministry said.
The evacuation, coordinated by the Indian embassies in Damascus and Beirut, was “put into effect following our assessment of the security situation and requests from Indian nationals in Syria”, the ministry said.
The evacuees included 44 “zaireen” or pilgrims from Jammu and Kashmir, who were stranded at Sayyidah Zaynab, an important pilgrimage site for Shia Muslims. Most pilgrims travel to this site to ask for healing.
The ministry advised Indian nationals who are still in Syria to stay in touch with the Indian embassy in Damascus at the emergency helpline number +963 993385973 (also on WhatsApp) and the email ID [email protected] for updates.
Noting that the Indian government “accords the highest priority” to the safety and security of Indian nationals abroad, the ministry said: “The government will continue to monitor the situation closely.”
On Monday, India joined other countries in calling for stability in Syria after opposition forces overthrew the regime of Bashar al-Assad, and New Delhi urged all stakeholders to preserve the West Asian country’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity.