Kashmir Students' Medical Dreams Caught in Iran's Political Storm

When 22-year-old Ahnaf Ishaq left Kashmir for Iran in 2023 to study medicine, his calculation seemed straightforward: escape the instability back home, get an affordable education in a culturally familiar nation, and secure a pathway to a stable career. Two years later, his degree—and future—hangs in the balance of regional tensions he never saw coming.

From Dream Destination to Dilemma

For young Kashmiris, educational opportunities have always been scarce in their disputed region, split between India and Pakistan. Medical school admission is fiercely competitive and expensive. Iran's medical universities offered an attractive alternative: Shiite cultural familiarity, relatively affordable tuition, and internationally recognized degrees.

But recent protests in Iran and the government's violent crackdown have dramatically altered the landscape. Internet communications have become unstable, travel restrictions have tightened, and students find themselves isolated. Continuing their studies—or even safely returning home—has become uncertain.

Narrowing Corridors Across the Region

Iran isn't the only option disappearing. Educational routes across South and West Asia are contracting year by year. Afghanistan banned women's education after the Taliban's return. Pakistan faces economic crisis and education budget cuts. Turkey struggles with political instability affecting its international student programs.

Kashmiri students are caught in a perfect storm of shrinking choices. European or North American education remains prohibitively expensive for most families. Middle Eastern alternatives are increasingly unstable. Many students face an impossible choice: abandon their dreams or persist in increasingly dangerous conditions.

When Geopolitics Derails Personal Ambitions

Ishaq's predicament reveals a broader structural problem. For young people from conflict zones, education isn't just learning—it's a survival strategy. Often, it's the only pathway to stable employment and a better future.

Yet as geopolitical tensions intensify, their options become more constrained. Borders close, visas get suspended, and existing students face mounting risks. Paradoxically, in an era of educational globalization, students from certain regions find themselves increasingly isolated.

The human cost extends beyond individual disappointment. When educational opportunities disappear, entire regions lose their most promising young minds to emigration or despair. The brain drain becomes a brain dam, trapping talent in cycles of instability.