Poonch (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], May 24: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Saturday visited Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir to meet with students and civilians impacted by recent cross-border shelling from Pakistan.
During his visit, Gandhi interacted with schoolchildren who have been living under the constant threat of shelling. Offering them words of encouragement, he said, “Now, you have seen danger and a little bit of a frightening situation, but don’t worry, everything will come back to normal. Your way of responding to this problem should be to study and play really hard and make a lot of friends in school.”
The Congress MP also visited civilian areas affected by the shelling and paid his respects at the Shri Guru Singh Sabha Gurudwara in Poonch.
In a heartfelt message shared on X (formerly Twitter), Gandhi expressed his solidarity with the affected families. “Today I met the families of those who lost their lives in Pakistan shelling in Poonch. Broken houses, scattered belongings, moist eyes and painful stories of losing loved ones in every corner — these patriotic families bear the biggest burden of war with courage and dignity every time. Salute to their courage,” he wrote.
He further added, “I stand strongly with the victim families — I will definitely raise their demands and issues at the national level.”
Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) President Tariq Hamid Karra had earlier highlighted that Poonch was among the worst-hit districts due to recent Pakistani shelling.