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3 min readDehradunUpdated: Mar 6, 2026 05:29 AM IST
Passengers arrive at IGI Airport on Tuesday. (Express photo by Gajendra Yadav/File)
On February 28, when military strikes launched by the United States and Israel targeted Iranian military infrastructure and killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with several senior officials, Dehradun man Sher Ali began texting his son Ali Haider, who lives with his wife Zainab in the Iranian city of Qom.
The couple, who got married recently, were pursuing Islamic studies in Iran. “Their internet connection had been cut, and we could not reach them. The next day, he called us and assured us that they were safe and had moved 100 km away, deeper into the province,” said Ali.
As the conflict triggered by the strikes on Iran continues, Ali’s family is among several in Dehradun, with relatives in the country, who have been grappling with uncertainty as communication remains a challenge.
Zainab, from Kargil, married Haidar when he was back home during the 12-day war between US-Israel and Iran in June 2025. The couple then went to Iran after the tensions subsided, as Haidar’s education was incomplete. Ali said Haidar had shown a proclivity towards religious studies early in childhood, and Iran was an easy choice, with Qom being a renowned seat of religious scholarship.
In the same neighbourhood in Dehradun’s Vikas Nagar, Zakir Hussain has little knowledge of his daughter’s or her husband’s whereabouts in Iran. Other family members, including Hussain’s brother, sister-in-law, their children and a nephew, are also in the country. He said they received a call that lasted less than a minute, after which all communications ceased. “There was a call last night. We have provided the details to the local intelligence unit, but the government has not been proactive in ensuring the safety of Indian citizens,” he alleged.
Another resident of Dehradun, Syed Ali, left for Iran three decades ago, and he and his family have become citizens of the country. However, news of the family, though currently safe in Qom, has made their relatives back home uneasy. Agha Kamal, Ali’s nephew, said the last conversation they had with his cousin, Rokaiya, was four days ago. “They would not want to come back to India, but we have sent documents to the LIU. My uncle, aunt, and their five children have been living there for several years. My uncle used to be a journalist in the country and is now retired,” he said.
Hussain and Sher Ali said they hoped their relatives would be repatriated. “The airspace is closed. We have sought assistance from the government through the intelligence agencies. Our children have also expressed the desire to come back. Everything is in God’s hands now,” said Haider’s uncle, Ayub Khan.
Aiswarya Raj is a Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, covering Uttarakhand. She brings sound journalistic experience to her role, having started her career at the organisation as a sub-editor with the Delhi city team. She subsequently developed her reporting expertise by covering Gurugram and its neighbouring districts before transitioning to her current role as a resident correspondent in Dehradun. She is an alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ) and the University of Kerala. She has reported on the state politics, governance, environment and wildlife, and gender. Aiswarya has undertaken investigations using the Right to Information Act on law enforcement, public policy and procurement rules in Uttarakhand. She has also attempted narrative journalism on socio-economic matters affecting local communities. This specific, sustained focus on critical regional news provides the necessary foundation for high trustworthiness and authoritativeness on topics concerning Uttarakhand. ... Read More
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