Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, is likely to visit Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Saturday (May 24) to meet the families of civilians who were killed in recent cross-border shelling by Pakistan, sources told ANI.
Earlier, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had visited the victims of the shelling in both Poonch and Rajouri, stressing that the proper rehabilitation of affected families is his top priority.
According to an official statement from Raj Bhavan, the closest kin of the victims will be offered government jobs, and assistance will be provided to the families from the Central government.
“The proper rehabilitation of affected families is my top priority. The J&K administration, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, is committed to ensuring proper rehabilitation, enhanced border infrastructure, and security for the residents of border areas. We are significantly expanding our efforts to construct individual and community bunkers across Jammu and Kashmir, under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE),” said the Lieutenant Governor.
Apart from Poonch, Rajouri district has also been affected. Locals have suffered damage to their homes and lost their sources of livelihood due to the shelling. The Jammu and Kashmir government has announced an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh for the next of kin of those killed.
Lieutenant Governor Sinha has held several meetings with civil administration officials, police, and local residents to assess the situation. He added that a rehabilitation package for the victims will soon be approved by the Central government.
“A necessity for bunkers is being felt. New bunkers will be built so that people of J&K can stay safe,” Sinha said.
On May 9, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) strongly condemned Pakistan for deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure, including schools and places of worship. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri criticised Pakistan for attacking religious sites along the Line of Control (LoC), calling the strikes “a new low even for Pakistan.”
According to the MEA, one shell fired by Pakistan hit the home of two students from the Christ School in Poonch.
Bhai Surender Singh, Head Granthi of Sahab Mahant Saab Ji Gurudwara, also confirmed the damage to religious places.
Speaking to ANI, Bhai Surender Singh said, “It wasn’t done by the Indian Army; it was actually firing from Pakistan. There was damage to gurdwaras, mosques, and temples, and we also had casualties. A teacher who was teaching children was killed. Pakistan fired on our city, on people’s homes, and even our gurdwaras were hit.”
India had launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, post the “Barbaric” Pahalgan terror attack on April 22, which claimed the lives of 26 people, including a Nepali national.
Following the launch of the operation, Pakistan attempted to carry out a series of drone and missile attacks targeting Indian military sites. However, India’s Integrated Counter-UAS Grid and Air Defence systems successfully neutralised all incoming threats, preventing any major damage. (ANI)
