Rahul meets victims of Pak shelling in Poonch, vows to highlight their problems at national level
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday met the victims of cross-border shelling by Pakistani troops in Poonch, describing the damage as a “big tragedy” and pledging to highlight their plight at the national level.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha visited Poonch town and spent over an hour interacting with the affected population, including families who lost loved ones during the shelling between May 7 and May 10.
This marks Gandhi’s second visit to Jammu & Kashmir since last month’s Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives. He arrived at Jammu airport this morning and proceeded to Poonch by helicopter.
Accompanied by local Congress leaders and Jammu & Kashmir Minister Javed Ahmad Rana, Gandhi visited several locations in the town. “It is a big tragedy. Many people have lost their lives. The Pakistan army has directly targeted civilian areas. I spoke with the people to understand their problems. They have asked me to raise their issues at the national level, and I will do so,” Gandhi told reporters in a brief interaction.
Later, in a post on X, he wrote: “Today I met the families of those who lost their lives in shelling by Pakistani troops in Poonch. Damaged houses, scattered belongings, moist eyes and painful stories of losing loved ones — these patriotic families bear the biggest burden of war with courage and dignity every time. Salute to their courage.”
“I stand strongly with the victim families — I will definitely raise their demands and issues at the national level,” Gandhi added.
During his visit, Gandhi also stopped by Christ School, where he praised the students for their courage and resilience.
Addressing the students, he said: “You are extremely brave children, and we are very proud of you. You’ve faced a frightening situation, but don’t worry — everything will return to normal. The best way to respond to this situation is to study hard, play hard, and make many friends in school.”
Among the families Gandhi met was that of Amarjeet Singh, a 50-year-old ex-serviceman who was killed by shrapnel during the shelling. He also visited the Jamia Zia-ul-Uloom, an Islamic institution, to meet affected students and the family of cleric Maulana Qari Mohammad Iqbal, who also died in the shelling.
“Despite his tragic killing, some national media channels maliciously labelled him a terrorist, but the local police and community’s swift response forced the news channels to apologise,” the Congress party said on X.
It added, “Rahul ji stood in solidarity with the affected families, assuring them of justice and support in the face of misinformation and loss.”
In a video clip posted by the Congress on X, one of the locals from Poonch complained, “Seventeen of our people have been martyred, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not even mention Poonch in his 22-minute speech.”
“Our hope lies with Rahul Gandhi ji, and we are confident he will raise his voice for us,” the local added.
The Poonch sector witnessed intense artillery and mortar shelling after India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting nine terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. In retaliation, Pakistan carried out a wave of artillery shelling, missile strikes, and drone attacks, killing 28 people — including 13 in Poonch district — and injuring more than 70 across J&K between May 7 and 10. Thousands were forced to flee from areas near the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border, seeking shelter in government-run relief camps.
J & K