‘Running short of money, we’ll be out on streets soon”

Srinagar: Kashmiri residents stuck in Cambodia have urged authorities in India to come to their rescue, saying the embassy in Phnom Penh is not providing them any help.
At least 70 residents of Kashmir are stuck in different parts of Cambodia for two months now. They say that they visited the Indian embassy in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, but were told that Indian authorities were yet to decide on airlifting stranded Indians out of Cambodia.
“We keep contacting and mailing the embassy, but to no avail,” a group of them told Kashmir Reader.
“The Indian government has airlifted many people from different countries but it looks like we’ve been left bereft. Two months have passed since we filled the form at the Indian embassy, but we never heard a word about that,” they said.
“Medical students were recently airlifted from Bangladesh, Indians in other countries are being flown back under the Vande Bharat mission. But our fate remains unknown. We are struggling to even make two ends meet here,” they said.
Parvaiz Khan, a businessman at Siem Reap city of Cambodia, told Kashmir Reader, “All the businesses are shut. I am bleeding losses. I have spent all my savings on daily essentials and accommodation. The rates of daily essentials are going up every day. If we’re left here for more time, I believe that we will be soon on the streets.”
Another stranded Kashmiri, Aadil Ahmad, said that he has lost his job. “We have no source of income. Whatever money we had, we spent it in the last two months. We are here at God’s mercy now.”

KALEEM GEELANI