Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has pledged to support 22 children from Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir who lost their parents or family breadwinners during cross-border shelling in Operation Sindoor.
According to The Indian Express, the Congress MP will bear the full cost of their education until they complete graduation.
J&K Congress chief Tariq Hamid Karra said that the first installment of aid would be disbursed this week to ensure the children’s education is not interrupted. Many of these children were orphaned during intense shelling by Pakistani forces earlier this year.
During his visit to Poonch in May, Rahul Gandhi had asked local Congress leaders to prepare a list of children who had lost parents in the violence. A survey was later conducted, and the final list was created after verifying with official records.
While in Poonch, Gandhi also visited Christ Public School to meet classmates of Urba Fatima and Zain Ali, 12-year-old twins who died in the shelling. He spent time speaking with students and offered words of comfort.
“I feel very, very proud of you. You miss your little friends. I’m very sorry about that. Now, you feel a little bit of danger and a little frightened, but don’t worry; everything will go back to normal. Your way of responding to this should be to study really hard, play really hard, and make a lot of friends in school,” the publication quoted him as saying.
Poonch was among the worst-affected areas during the shelling. Several civilians, including children, were injured. Among those killed was Vihaan Bhargav, a young boy hit by shrapnel while his family tried to escape the attacks.
The violence was triggered after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which claimed the lives of 26 people. In response, India launched Operation Sindoor, targeting nine terror hubs across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, reportedly neutralising over 100 terrorists.
Following this, both nations agreed to a cessation of hostilities on May 10, after Indian strikes on May 7.
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