Srinagar: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visited Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Saturday to meet victims of the recent cross-border shelling by Pakistani forces. The shelling followed India’s retaliatory Operation Sindoor strikes on terror hubs across the Line of Control (LoC) on May 7.
This marks Gandhi’s second visit to the Union Territory in the past month. He had earlier travelled to Srinagar on April 25 to meet survivors of the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. During that visit, he also held meetings with the Lieutenant Governor, the Chief Minister, and other key stakeholders.
Gandhi arrived at Jammu airport in the morning and flew to Poonch by helicopter, where he met families affected by the intense shelling between May 7 and 10. The violence, which included artillery fire, drone strikes, and missile attacks, claimed 28 lives across Jammu and Kashmir, with 13 deaths reported in Poonch district alone. Over 70 others were injured in the hostilities, which forced thousands to flee from LoC and border areas into government-run relief camps.
“Rahul Gandhi will visit damaged structures, including a gurdwara, a temple, a madrassa, and a Christian missionary school. He will also meet with bereaved families and members of civil society,” said Jammu and Kashmir Congress president Tariq Hameed Karra. “He is the first national leader to reach out to the affected population, to express his solidarity and share their pain,” Karra added.
India and Pakistan agreed to end the military escalation on May 10 after four days of heavy exchanges along the LoC and the International Border.
Gandhi had earlier condemned the April terror attack in Pahalgam and stressed the importance of unity in the face of such attempts to create division. “The aim of the terror strike was to divide us. It’s crucial that we remain united and resolute in our stand against terrorism,” he had said during his Srinagar visit
