Amjad Ali Bhat returned to India after spending nearly three months in detention in Saudi Arabia. Photo: X
Srinagar: A 29-year-old Kashmiri nurse has returned home after spending nearly three months in detention in Saudi Arabia in a case allegedly linked to a Facebook post featuring late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Amjad Ali Bhat, a resident of Baramulla district in Jammu and Kashmir, arrived home on Friday, July 17, after being released and repatriated by the Saudi authorities. He had been working as a specialist nurse with Saudi healthcare provider Saudi Response Plus Medical in Dammam since June 2025.
According to The Times of India, Saudi security personnel took Bhat into custody from his workplace in Dammam on March 25 after initially telling him he would be questioned for only a few hours. His passport and identity documents were seized before he was transferred to a detention centre.
During questioning, officials asked Bhat about a Facebook post he had shared on March 3 featuring a photograph of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with the message, “Iran is not important, Islam is important: Khamenei.” Bhat said he told investigators the post was intended as a condolence message.
He remained in detention for nearly three months, sharing a room with six other detainees from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Yemen, Egypt and Syria. Throughout the period, he said he was questioned repeatedly and was not allowed to communicate with his family.
“I had doubts whether I would ever be released. I wasn’t even allowed to speak to my family during my detention,” Bhat said.
As weeks passed without any information about Bhat’s whereabouts or legal status, his family sought assistance from the Ministry of External Affairs, the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Baramulla MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi.
The Indian Embassy assured the family that it was pursuing the matter, although no official details regarding Bhat’s detention were made public. Bhat said Saudi authorities informed him on June 25 that he would be released and arranged his return to India via Riyadh and New Delhi.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ruled Iran for decades before he was killed at the age of 86 in a joint US-Israeli airstrike on February 28, 2026, at the outset of the Iran war. His state funeral was held from July 3 to July 9, 2026, ending with his burial in his birthplace of Mashhad after public ceremonies were delayed because of the ongoing conflict.
This post was last modified on July 20, 2026 1:42 pm