Gandhi encouraged the students to study hard, play, and make friends, emphasizing resilience amid the tensions. He shook hands with students, brightening them up. The students responded by clapping and waving at him.
SRINAGAR: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday expressed optimism about normalcy being restored along the India-Pakistan borders after witnessing military escalation that led to significant loss of life and destruction earlier this month.
“Now, you feel a little bit of danger, a little frightened, but don’t worry, everything will go back to normal,” he said while speaking to students at a public school in Poonch, the city at a stone’s throw from the Line of Control (LoC) worst hit in the recent Pakistani firing and shelling. Two of the students of Christ Public School – 12-year-old twins Zain Ali and Urwa Fatima -were among the victims.
Gandhi encouraged the students to study hard, play, and make friends, emphasizing resilience amid the tensions. He shook hands with students, brightening them up. The students responded by clapping and waving at him. “Big hug to all of you. Love you and thank you,” he said before leaving.
During his daylong visit to Poonch, the Congress leader visited the places of destruction including a Gurudwara, a temple and an Islamic seminary and some private homes and met the families of some of those killed in the cross-LoC shelling.
Later he wrote on ‘X’, “Today, I met the families of those who lost their lives in the shelling by Pakistan in Poonch. Broken houses, scattered belongings, wet eyes, and the heart-wrenching stories of losing loved ones in every corner - these patriotic families bear the greatest burden of war with courage and dignity every time. Their spirit is commendable. I stand firmly with the victimized families - I will definitely raise their demands and issues at the national level.”
In another post, he said, “Today, I went to the temple, gurudwara, and madrasas affected by Pakistani attacks in Poonch. Here, people of every religion live together, sharing both joys and sorrows. This is Poonch - this is Hindustan, where there is harmony, unity, and love for the country. Those who try to divide and break us will never succeed - we will always respond firmly and unitedly. Jai Hind.”
While speaking to reporters in Poonch city, the Congress leader said that the escalation was a big tragedy as it snatched many precious lives, and shattered dreams. “It was a big tragedy and many people have lost their lives. There has been huge damage. I spoke with the people and tried to understand their problems. They have requested me to raise this issue on the national level and I will do that,” he said. Earlier, some residents had sought the intervention of the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha towards enhancing the compensation for their damaged houses.
Accompanied by party leaders, including AICC general secretaries Syed Naseer Hussain and G.A. Mir, J-K Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra and former ministers Vikar Rasool Wani and Lal Singh, Rahul Gandhi, during an interaction with a girl whose house was badly damaged, was told by her 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.
This was the Congress leader’s second visit to J&K on the April 22 Pahalgam carnage. During his visit to Kashmiri capital Srinagar on April 25, he had met some of those injured in the terror attack. He had also met J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and several stakeholders then.
He had said that the Pahalgam terror attack was orchestrated to pit brother against brother and divide India, urging the countrymen to stand united to defeat terrorism once and for all. While speaking to reporters here, he had said, “It (Pahalgam terror attack) is to make brother fight brother and it is very important that every single Indian stands united and together so that we can defeat what the terrorists were trying to do. We have to fight their nasty actions and defeat terrorism once and for all.”
Calling the attack on tourists “a terrible tragedy”, Gandhi had also said that the entire people of J&K have condemned this “terrible action”, and “they fully support the nation at this time (of grief)”.
