With flight operations partially resuming in the conflict-hit Gulf region after a temporary suspension triggered by the ongoing Israel-Iran war, the Government of Andhra Pradesh has facilitated the return of 59 Telugu church pastors stranded in Bahrain and 48 others from Dubai.
Commissioner, Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in New Delhi, Arja Srikanth, told The Hindu on Saturday that the 59 Telugu church pastors, who had been stranded in Bahrain for nearly a week, were finally departing that day from King Fahd International Airport for India. The pastors could not return earlier after flight services were disrupted by the closure of Bahrain airport amid Israel-Iran war tensions, which crippled regional air travel.
The plight of the stranded people was first brought to the attention of the A. P. Non-Resident Telugu Society and the Telugu Desam Party NRI wing in Bahrain, which informed the authorities and sought immediate intervention.
NRI TDP Gulf Council president Ravi Radha Krishna, along with Raghunath Babu, played a key role on the ground, coordinating with APNRTS, the Indian Embassy in Bahrain, airline authorities and other stakeholders to secure their safe return.
Acting as the emergency officer for Telugus abroad, Mr. Arja Srikanth maintained constant coordination with ministries, diplomatic missions and aviation authorities to ensure the safe return of the pastors and the 48 others.
Returnees expressed gratitude to Ministers Nara Lokesh and Kondapalli Srinivas, the APNRTS team, the Government of Andhra Pradesh, Indian embassies and the Bahrain and Saudi NRI TDP-APNRTS teams for their coordinated humanitarian efforts.
Published – March 07, 2026 07:47 pm IST
