Congress chief Rahul Gandhi arrived in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Friday to interact with the victims of recent Pakistani shelling on the Line of Control (LoC). His visit comes at a time when there is growing cross-border tension and rising civilian casualties in the area.
Gandhi met the families of the victims at a local hospital and condemned the ongoing shelling by Pakistani forces as a “grave humanitarian concern” which needed to be resolved immediately by the central government. “No citizen should have to live in fear of violence all the time. It is the government’s responsibility to provide them security and dignity,” he told journalists.
Sources report that at least five civilians, two of whom were children, were killed and more than a dozen wounded in Pakistani army mortar shelling this week. Some houses in border villages such as Balakote and Mendhar were destroyed, and dozens of families were compelled to take refuge in safer zones.
Rahul Gandhi, along who other top Congress leaders from J&K, also toured the relief camps where the victims were housed. He met with local officials and asked them to speed up relief efforts, such as providing medical help, shelter, and compensation. Rahul Gandhi assured the victims further that the Congress party will bring it up in Parliament and demand accountability from the Centre.
The trip has highlighted the delicate security environment in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly following a recent upsurge in ceasefire breaches. The increase is seen as posing a risk to regional stability and subjecting residents of the borders to tremendous psychological and physical strain by defence experts.
This is not the first time Gandhi has undertaken visits to areas affected by conflict in Jammu and Kashmir. In his 2023 Bharat Jodo Yatra, he underscored the importance of peace and dialogue as pillars for finding solutions to long-standing problems in the region.
In response to the visit, BJP leaders criticized Gandhi for politicizing a sensitive security issue. But Congress refuted that by saying that their leader’s visit to Poonch was only humanitarian and intended to show the plight of innocent civilians.
As security personnel remain vigilant along the LoC, Poonch residents hope their situation is not forgotten and that measures are taken to bring long-term peace and protection for those who live in the frontlines.
