*Assures people to raise issue at national level
Gopal Sharma
JAMMU/POONCH, May 24: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and former Congress president, Rahul Gandhi today met the victims of Pakistani shelling in Poonch and described the damage caused as a ‘big tragedy’, pledging to highlight their plight at the national level.
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Accompanied by AICC general secretary In-charge J&K, Dr Naseer Hussain, Gandhi visited the border town of Poonch today and interacted with the affected people including the families who lost their members in the Pakistani shelling between May 7 and May 10.
“It is a big tragedy. Many people lost their lives. Pakistan army have hit civilian targets directly. I talked to the people and tried to understand their problems and they have asked me to raise their issue at the national level which I will do,” Gandhi told media-persons at Poonch.
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“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,” the LoP said.
“I stand strongly with the victim families, I will definitely raise their demands and issues at the national level,” Rahul added.
He also reached out to school students who lost two of their mates — 12-year-old twins Zain Ali and Urwa Fatima — to Pakistani shelling, consoling as well as encouraging them to “study hard, play hard and make lots of friends.”
“Don’t worry, everything will come back to normal,” Gandhi said while interacting with the children.
During an hour-long whirlwind tour of Poonch town damaged by heavy shelling from across the LoC during the India-Pakistan military standoff earlier this month, the Leader of Opposition interacted with the students of the Convent school which lost Ali and Fatima.
Though the school escaped the shelling between May 7 and 10 that left 26 dead and over 60 others injured, its two students died in Poonch town on May 7. They were among the 13 civilians who died in Poonch district, the worst-hit by the shelling.
“You’ve seen a bit of danger, you’ve seen a bit of a frightening situation. But don’t worry, everything will come back to normal soon. And your way of responding to this problem should be that you study really hard, you play really hard and you make a lot of friends in school. Okay? Will you do that? Good,” Rahul told the students.
His presence at the school brightened up the students who were seen clapping and waving at the former Congress president who shook hands with them. “Big hug to all of you. Love you and thank you,” he said before leaving.
Besides visiting the families of those who lost their lives in the shelling, Rahul also inspected damage to the houses and religious places, including a Gurdwara.
When Gandhi was leaving the Singh Sabha Gurdwara, a man in the crowd expressed his faith in the Congress leader to raise their voice at the national level.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not even mention Poonch (during his address to the nation in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor but we have faith that you will raise our issue,” he said after Gandhi halted in his steps to hear the man dodging the security apparatus to come closer.
During an interaction with a young girl whose house was badly damaged, she told Gandhi that they were five sisters and their father died 16 years ago. Recounting the horrifying experience, the girl said they were on the ground floor when the shell hit the house and they had a miraculous escape.
Some residents sought Gandhi’s intervention in enhancing the compensation for their damaged houses.
Minister for R&B and Forest Javed Rana, AICC general secretary G A Mir, JKPCC chief Tariq Hameed Karra, CWC Member Vikar Rasool Wani, AICC Secy Shahnawaz Choudhary, former MP Ch Lal Singh, MLA Iftikhar Ahmed and others were also accompanying Rahul Gandhi at Poonch.
Earlier, LoP arrived Jammu airport at around 9.40 am in a private aircraft. He was received by party senior leaders Raman Bhalla, Ravinder Sharma, Neeraj Kundan and Rajnish Sharma. Then he left for Poonch at around 10 am in a helicopter. He returned to Delhi in the afternoon.
Poonch sector was witness to heightened artillery and mortar shelling after India carried out precise strikes under `Operation Sindoor’ on nine terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu Kashmir on May 7 in response to the dastardly Pahalgam attack in which 26 people were killed.
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