2 min readPuneMar 4, 2026 10:15 PM ISTThe Government of India and the Government of Maharashtra have issued important instructions for the safety of Indian citizens in West Asia.(Source: Planet Labs PBC via AP)In the midst of conflict and airspace closure in West Asia due to Iran’s retaliation of US-Israel attack, 111 out of a total of 184 citizens of the Pune district who were stranded in Dubai have reached Pune safely. In a press note, District Collector Jitendra Dudi said the “flight time of 19 citizens has been changed and the process of bringing back 54 citizens is underway”.Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had arranged two chartered aircraft to bring back 164 citizens of Maharashtra from UAE on Tuesday. Two Star Air flights were arranged to bring the citizens back, which included 84 students from Indira School of Business Studies, Pune, who had travelled to Dubai on an educational tour.However, many citizens who remained stranded told The Indian Express that they have had to pay lakhs of rupees in hotel costs and in booking overpriced tickets to come back to India.US-Israel-Iran War | Live UpdatesThe Government of India and the Government of Maharashtra have issued important instructions for the safety of Indian citizens in West Asia. The government has appealed to all Indian citizens residing in Palestine (Ramallah), Qatar (Doha), Saudi Arabia (Riyadh), Israel (Tel Aviv), Iran (Tehran), Iraq (Baghdad), Kuwait, Bahrain, Muscat, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi) to remain extremely alert, avoid unnecessary movements and strictly follow instructions given by the local administration and Indian embassies. In case of emergency, citizens have also been appealed to contact the 24×7 helpline numbers of the Indian embassies in the respective countries.The Maharashtra government has appealed to the citizens of Maharashtra residing abroad to maintain peace and patience, pay attention to official information only, and contact the Indian embassies immediately if necessary.Citizens should not believe in rumors and if needed, they should contact the District Administration’s District Disaster Management Control Room at 020-26123371/26133522/26133522, said Dudi. Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Iran US tensionPune news