Rahul Gandhi visits Pak shelling victims in Poonch, urges kids to stay strong

Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, visited Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday to meet families affected by recent shelling from Pakistan. His visit comes amid rising tensions along the Line of Control (LoC) and the tragic deaths of civilians, including children, due to cross-border firing.

Gandhi arrived in Jammu earlier that day and traveled to Poonch to show solidarity with the grieving families. He met with the parents of 12-year-old twin siblings, Zoya and Zain, who lost their lives in the shelling. Congress leaders stated that the visit aimed to "stand by the victims of Pakistani aggression" and to highlight the human cost of ongoing hostilities.

During an emotional interaction, Gandhi offered his condolences and reassured the families that they would receive support. He later visited a local school, where he spoke to students, encouraging them to remain strong and focus on their futures.

“Don’t worry... everything will return to normal,” he told the children. “You should respond to this situation by studying hard, playing hard, and making lots of friends in school.”

This marks Gandhi's second visit to Jammu and Kashmir in less than a month; he had previously been in Srinagar on April 25 to meet victims of the Pahalgam terror attack.

After meeting the affected family members, Gandhi interacted with the media and said, "This is very big tragedy. Some people have died. I met people... interacted with them. I tried to understand the issues they are facing. They asked me to raise their issues at the national level... I will do that."