The Geopolitical Flashpoint and India’s Expanding Role in Regional Evacuation Diplomacy
A Region on the Brink
As the geopolitical temperature in West Asia surged to alarming levels in mid-June 2025, the Indian government swiftly announced a critical humanitarian mission—Operation Sindhu. This high-priority initiative was not only aimed at evacuating Indian nationals from conflict-struck zones in Iran but uniquely extended to Nepalese and Sri Lankan citizens as well, underlining India’s growing regional leadership in crisis response.
The urgency of Operation Sindhu came amid escalating military tensions between Iran and Israel, a dangerous standoff drawing in global powers, and putting thousands of South Asian citizens working or studying in Iran at risk. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), acting on intelligence reports and diplomatic signals, declared the launch of the operation and simultaneously issued emergency helpline numbers across embassies and consulates in Tehran and other Iranian cities.
This move wasn’t just a reaction to an unfolding regional crisis—it was a demonstration of India’s matured diplomatic stance and operational readiness in a high-stakes, transnational humanitarian effort.
Operation Sindhu – Genesis and Structure
Named after the ancient river “Sindhu”—a symbol of cultural convergence and continuity in the subcontinent—Operation Sindhu was conceived as a multiphase airlift and land-based evacuation effort, utilizing military aircraft, chartered civilian planes, and ground transport corridors through cooperative regional alliances.
What makes this operation distinct is that India is taking responsibility beyond its own diaspora, extending its rescue net to include citizens from Nepal and Sri Lanka. This rare example of multinational humanitarian collaboration was greenlit following diplomatic communications between the MEA and South Asian counterparts.
Key highlights from the mission’s structure include:
- Deployment of IAF C-17 Globemaster aircraft on standby at Oman and the UAE.
- Coordination with Iranian civil aviation to secure last-minute clearance through Tehran, Shiraz, and Esfahan airports.
- The establishment of temporary safe houses within Iran for staging evacuees before departure.
- Dedicated teams from Indian embassies managing emergency calls via 24×7 helpline lines in Hindi, Nepali, Sinhala, and Tamil.
Diplomatic Calculus and India’s Evacuation Doctrine
India’s experience in large-scale evacuation operations—from Operation Rahat in Yemen (2015) to Operation Ganga during the Russia-Ukraine conflict (2022)—has formed a doctrine grounded in rapid assessment, pre-emptive communication, and decisive action.
Operation Sindhu is an evolution of that doctrine.
It integrates:
- Real-time intelligence from Indian diplomatic missions.
- Rapid diplomatic coordination with Iran, Oman, and the UAE.
- Multilingual communication strategies to manage a diverse evacuee base.
- An emphasis on non-discriminatory regional solidarity, especially toward smaller neighboring nations like Nepal and Sri Lanka, who may not have the same logistical reach in Iran.
While some analysts describe this as a soft-power play, Indian officials assert that this is about values—about protecting human life irrespective of nationality, especially in regions with deep cultural and labor connections to India.
Voices from the Ground – Fear and Faith in Iran
For many stranded in Iran, the situation turned from daily routine to dread in a matter of hours. Air raid sirens in Tehran, reports of Israeli counterstrikes, and Iranian retaliatory mobilization forced many South Asians into lockdowns. In phone calls to families back home, fear was evident, yet so was the hope that India would intervene.
A 26-year-old Sri Lankan IT engineer in Shiraz told Times of India reporters:
Nepalese workers in the Qom region—many of whom are employed in construction and light manufacturing—also expressed gratitude. India’s early decision to include Nepal and Sri Lanka in Operation Sindhu was widely praised across South Asian media.
Emergency Infrastructure – The Helpline Web
In any evacuation operation, information flow is as critical as transport logistics. The Indian government activated multiple helplines, operational around the clock, and staffed with trained multilingual personnel. These helplines became the lifeline for those needing medical assistance, safe lodging, or instructions to reach evacuation points.
Key centers included:
- Indian Embassy in Tehran – Primary coordination hub.
- Helpline cells in Mumbai and Delhi – For families in India to track loved ones.
- WhatsApp broadcast lines – To bypass telecom blackouts and reach large groups quickly.
- GPS-linked evacuation alerts – For individuals enrolled in the “Madad” system and updated via the MEA’s mobile app.
Strategic Implications and Global Response
Operation Sindhu has stirred quiet admiration in global diplomatic circles. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) acknowledged India’s commitment to humanitarian values beyond borders. The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) applauded India’s regional inclusivity, with unofficial diplomatic channels in Kathmandu and Colombo describing it as “a regional moment of grace.”
Critics in some Western media outlets questioned whether this expansion of evacuation responsibility signaled an overreach in India’s diplomatic ambition, but MEA officials have firmly framed the mission as “humanitarian, not hegemonic.
The Countdown to Extraction
By June 19, 2025, Indian authorities had moved past diplomatic groundwork and into full deployment mode. With regional intelligence pointing toward potential airspace restrictions and escalation between Iranian and Israeli defense forces, time became a critical variable.
The Indian Air Force had already positioned two C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft at Muscat International Airport, within flying distance of key Iranian cities. Civilian evacuation efforts were supplemented by private Indian carriers, including Air India and Indigo, working in direct coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs.
What made the evacuation particularly complex was the presence of multiple nationalities, many undocumented or in irregular work arrangements, and a fast-closing window of airspace accessibility.
Boots on Ground – Indian Embassy Coordination in Iran
Inside Tehran’s diplomatic district, a war-room-like atmosphere had taken over the Indian Embassy compound. Officials, led by Ambassador Saurabh Kumar, operated on split shifts to manage the surge in inquiries, documentation, security coordination, and helpline management.
Major tasks included:
- Verifying identities of Nepalese and Sri Lankan citizens who lacked biometric records in Indian systems.
- Mapping safe zones for pickups via armored buses in Esfahan, Shiraz, Qom, and Mashhad.
- Establishing liaison points with the Iranian Red Crescent for medical emergencies.
- Coordinating local militia approvals in conflict-sensitive zones through discreet diplomatic channels.
A key challenge was real-time location mapping of evacuees. With mobile data restricted in parts of Iran, the Indian side used a unique workaround—triangulation via embassy-issued QR codes that evacuees printed and presented at checkpoints, allowing field officers to verify routes and plan convoys with minimal digital risk.
The First Flights Out
On the early morning of June 20, at 02:35 AM IST, the first IAF C-17 aircraft departed from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport. It carried:
- 178 Indian nationals
- 42 Nepalese citizens
- 17 Sri Lankan citizens
- 3 MEA personnel and 2 paramedics
The flight landed safely in Mumbai at 07:40 AM IST, where all evacuees underwent medical screening, psychological debriefing, and basic immigration processing. Nepali and Sri Lankan consular officers were present to receive their citizens.
This flight marked a turning point—not just in the evacuation but in India’s positioning as a regional safety net. “This is not just diplomacy. This is humanity,” said an MEA official speaking anonymously from the evacuation control room.
Human Stories from the Operation Sindhu Airlift
Among the evacuees on that first flight were stories that transcended headlines.
Gopal Thapa, a Nepalese truck driver working in Isfahan, had lost contact with his family for three days. He described being pulled from a warehouse on the verge of being commandeered by Iranian reservists. “India saved me. I don’t even have an Indian visa. But they didn’t ask — they just helped.”
Priyanka Menon, a Tamil student from Sri Lanka studying medicine in Shiraz, told media in Mumbai:
Rafiq Khan, an Indian mason from Bihar, said, “I had only ₹600 and no passport. The embassy still took me in, gave me food, and got me home. This is what real governance looks like.”
Risks in Transit – Unseen Dangers
While India has not officially disclosed the full scope of threats encountered during Operation Sindhu, internal reports suggest:
- At least two convoys had to reroute after Iranian drones spotted hostile movement near local military compounds.
- A group of Indian nationals was briefly detained by Basij paramilitary forces, requiring intense last-minute negotiation.
- One aircraft scheduled to leave from Shiraz had to abort landing due to a temporary GPS jamming incident over western Iran.
Despite these high-stakes scenarios, Indian military and diplomatic teams maintained strict non-interference and neutrality, ensuring they remained off the radar of both Israeli surveillance and Iranian counterintelligence.
Logistical Masterclass – The Anatomy of Evacuation
What makes Operation Sindhu exceptional is not just who was saved, but how quickly it was executed under volatile conditions. The operation required a convergence of:
- Diplomatic pressure to obtain Iranian clearance despite ongoing air alerts.
- Coordination with neighboring Gulf States to maintain airspace corridors.
- High-altitude flight path mapping to avoid missile zones and electronic warfare zones.
- Integrated cross-consular support for third-country nationals (Nepalese, Sri Lankan) not documented within Indian foreign missions.
This type of multilateral coordination set a new precedent, likely to be studied by global policy schools and defense colleges.
The Diplomatic Shockwave
As Operation Sindhu entered its second phase, observers from global diplomatic and defense think tanks began to recognize a shift in regional equations. India, long seen as a reactive power in foreign crises, was now leading a proactive multinational civilian evacuation mission in a war-volatile West Asian corridor. It wasn’t just India evacuating its own citizens—it was India answering the humanitarian needs of its smaller neighbors in the absence of their own on-ground capacity.
This sent a clear signal:
India’s diplomacy in 2025 is no longer confined to quiet negotiation and bilateral safety nets—it’s stepping up as the first responder in regional humanitarian crises.
Nepal and Sri Lanka’s Silent Diplomacy
Although public statements from Nepal and Sri Lanka remained measured, behind closed doors their governments were reportedly in constant coordination with South Block. Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed “deep gratitude” through internal diplomatic cables for the emergency extraction of nearly 300 stranded Nepalese workers, especially those in undocumented jobs within Iran’s industrial south.
Sri Lanka, struggling with economic hardship and limited international evacuation capabilities, leaned on India’s diplomatic umbrella. The evacuation of over 100 Sri Lankan nationals, including students and healthcare workers, became a symbol of India’s role as a regional safety guarantor.
Unofficial channels confirmed that India bore all logistical and medical expenses for non-Indians under Operation Sindhu, a rare move in international crisis diplomacy.
Operation Sindhu and India’s Soft Power Projection
Operation Sindhu stands not only as a logistical success but as a masterclass in soft power execution. Through decisive, non-militarized action that saved hundreds of lives, India reinforced its image as a country that:
- Leads with compassion
- Acts beyond strategic self-interest
- Integrates humanitarian principles into diplomacy
This humanitarian mantle was made even more significant considering the geographic scope of the crisis—involving Iran, Israel, and broader Middle Eastern instability. While Western nations evacuated only their nationals and imposed rigid visa screening, India widened its safety net, reminding the region of the civilizational ethos of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam—the world is one family.
How the Gulf and the West Viewed Operation Sindhu
Western diplomatic missions in Tehran took note. Although countries like the U.S., U.K., and Germany focused exclusively on their citizens, several embassy liaisons sought Indian assistance for undocumented South Asians whose embassies had no active footprint in Iran.
Key Gulf countries like Oman and the UAE played silent but vital roles by opening up military and civilian airstrips for India’s emergency staging. This trilateral cooperation (India–Iran–Gulf) showed how India’s operational neutrality enabled cross-border cooperation without inflaming the regional conflict.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), through a joint internal note, labeled India’s action “an example of stabilizing outreach in an unstable theatre.”
Strategic Payoffs – Beyond Humanitarianism
While Operation Sindhu is at its core a humanitarian mission, the strategic dividends are undeniable.
1. Strengthening SAARC ties: Nepal and Sri Lanka’s appreciation has created new diplomatic goodwill that India can leverage in future multilateral discussions—especially around trade, border security, and disaster readiness.
2. Resetting India’s Iran equation: While Western nations imposed sanctions or distanced themselves, India’s boots-on-ground engagement via its embassy in Tehran has opened channels of goodwill that may play a role in future energy security deals.
3. Military-civil fusion: The integration of IAF assets with civilian airline cooperation has demonstrated India’s whole-of-government capacity—a model often cited in Western evacuation doctrines.
4. Global narrative shaping: Media outlets like Al Jazeera, BBC, and The Washington Post reported India’s inclusive evacuation approach, often contrasting it with more siloed Western efforts.
Regional Trust Building in Action
Operation Sindhu has become a case study in building regional trust through action, not rhetoric.
Consider these data points:
- More than 950 civilians have been safely evacuated as of June 21, with operations still underway.
- Evacuees came from 3 countries and 14 regional languages were involved in communication strategy.
- Emergency aid included not just evacuation, but temporary shelter, cash assistance, and post-landing psychological counseling.
The psychological impact—of being remembered and rescued when abandoned by others—has cemented India’s reputation among the region’s working-class diaspora, particularly in the labor-exporting countries of South Asia.
India’s Crisis Doctrine – Learning from Past Operations
Operation Sindhu draws from lessons learned during:
- Operation Rahat (Yemen, 2015)
- Operation Maitri (Nepal Earthquake, 2015)
- Operation Ganga (Ukraine, 2022)
- Vande Bharat Mission (COVID-19, 2020–21)
However, Sindhu is different in one fundamental way—it is the first mission where India took charge of evacuating third-country nationals as a formal part of its planning, not as an incidental extension.
That policy shift is not just operational—it’s philosophical. It suggests a new strategic principle: that India will play a stabilizing role across South Asia and the Indian Ocean Region, regardless of direct stakes.
Domestic Impact and Political Significance
Back home, Operation Sindhu has received bipartisan praise. Even opposition leaders acknowledged the mission’s scope and efficiency. With the Bihar and Maharashtra elections on the horizon, the Modi government’s ability to mobilize foreign rescue operations while maintaining domestic stability is seen as a testament to its governance maturity.
Prime Minister Modi, in a public address from Varanasi, stated:
This sentiment was echoed across media outlets and drew millions of impressions online under hashtags like #OperationSindhu, #IndiaLeads, and #BharatSavesLives.
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