What attracts J&K students to pursue MBBS in Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh?

Jammu and Kashmir leaders are deeply concerned over the escalating crisis in Iran-and with good reason.

- DOST KHAN

Hundreds of students, the majority of them enrolled in medical programs, are currently awaiting evacuation from Tehran, which is now facing the threat of targeted military action. The anxiety is reminiscent of the recent situation in Bangladesh during the political upheaval and anti-Hindu violence, when scores of J&K students had to be urgently evacuated to safety. Pakistan, less said about the rogue nation the better.

Question arises about the recurring pattern of young students from this part of the country opting to study medicine in countries that, more often than not, are known not for academic excellence, but for their troubling associations with ideological radicalization. Over the years, a growing trend among Indian students opting for MBBS courses in the Islamic Republics of Pakistan, Iran and Bangladesh has raised serious concerns. Is this shift driven solely by the lure of a cheaper medical degree, or is there a deeper, more concerning undertone of "educational jihad"? Regardless of the reason, both possibilities carry significant risks for India-be it the influx of under-qualified doctors or the danger of ideological indoctrination.

The increasing migration of Indian students to these neighboring countries for medical education prompts serious questions-not just about educational quality, but also about national security and ideological influence.