Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, will visit Poonch in Jammu on Saturday to meet families who lost their loved ones or were injured during the recent clash between India and Pakistan.
Tensions between the two countries rose after the Indian defence forces launched Operation Sindoor in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, which killed 25 tourists and a local horse ride operator. Poonch, which lies close to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), suffered the most from heavy shelling and firing. Thirteen people died in this area, including 12-year-old twins—a brother and sister. Many homes, shops and vehicles were damaged during the attacks.
This will be Rahul Gandhi’s second visit to Jammu and Kashmir after the Pahalgam attack. Congress chief spokesperson, Ravinder Sharma, told THE WEEK that Gandhi will arrive in Jammu in the morning and then travel to Poonch to meet the affected families. He will also meet others who were injured or suffered losses during the shelling.
Gandhi will be accompanied by senior Congress leaders, including Sharma, Dr Naseer Hussain, who is the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Jammu and Kashmir and J&K Congress president Tariq Hameed Karra.
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Congress MLA from Rajouri, Iftikhar Ahmed, along with Karra and other party leaders, have already reached Poonch to make the necessary arrangements for Gandhi’s visit. Gandhi is expected to return to Delhi later the same afternoon.
During his recent visit to Poonch, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha announced that the government will provide a job to the next of kin of those killed in the four-day confrontation between the two nations. The administration has also formed committees to assess the damage to property and offer financial help to affected families. More than 24 people were killed in the shelling, including six security personnel—five Army soldiers and a BSF inspector—and Raj Kumar Thappa, the additional district development commissioner of Rajouri.
