In a heartfelt gesture of solidarity, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Saturday visited Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir to meet families affected by recent Pakistani shelling. His visit came in the aftermath of a four-day military escalation between India and Pakistan, during which civilian areas were targeted, leaving behind a trail of destruction and grief. Rahul Gandhi met the bereaved families, witnessed the devastation up close, and assured the victims that their voices would be raised at the national level.
Witnessing the Aftermath of Conflict
During his visit, Rahul Gandhi interacted with families who had lost loved ones in the cross-border shelling. Among those he met were the grieving relatives of 12-year-old twins Zoya and Zain, who tragically lost their lives in the attack. Walking through homes reduced to rubble, Rahul Gandhi took note of the damage, describing scenes of broken structures, scattered belongings, and sorrowful faces. In a message shared on social media, he paid tribute to the courage of these families, calling them “patriotic citizens who bear the burden of war with dignity every time.”
He also visited Gurudwara Shri Guru Singh Sabha in Poonch, which had sustained damage during the conflict, offering prayers and listening to community members who shared their experiences of fear and loss.
Words of Encouragement to Students
Rahul Gandhi also visited a local school where he spoke to students affected by the recent turmoil. Acknowledging the fear they had endured, he encouraged them to focus on studies and friendship. “Now, you have seen danger and a little bit of a frightening situation, but don’t worry, everything will come back to normal,” he told them. “Your way of responding to this problem should be that you study and play really hard and make a lot of friends in school.”
The recent military conflict had erupted after India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ on May 7, targeting nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives, most of them tourists. In response, Pakistan shelled civilian areas in border towns, resulting in the deaths of 13 people in Poonch alone and forcing many families to take shelter in government-run relief camps.
This marked Rahul Gandhi’s second visit to Jammu and Kashmir since the Pahalgam attack and his first following the launch of Operation Sindoor.
