On the instructions of the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, the Jammu and Kashmir Congress will sponsor the education of 24 children who lost one or both parents during Pakistani shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district, as part of Operation Sindoor.
After conducting a survey in the shelling-affected border areas of Poonch, the Congress leadership identified children in urgent need of assistance and resolved to provide financial support for their education.
"On the direction of LoP Rahul Gandhi, the Youth Congress has identified nearly two dozen children who are in dire need of financial support to continue their studies," said Ravinder Sharma, Chief Spokesperson of the Jammu and Kashmir Congress, while speaking to International Business Times.
"The party has decided to provide financial assistance to all such children," he added, disclosing that a formal event will be held on Wednesday, where J&K Congress chief Tariq Hamid Karra will officially announce the sponsorship of these children.
Sharma further said that Youth Congress volunteers, with the help of local residents in Poonch, identified the children most in need of support.
On Monday, while addressing a press conference, Tariq Hamid Karra stated that considerable civilian casualties and property damage occurred in Poonch and Rajouri between May 7 and 10 due to Pakistani shelling.
"Rahul Gandhi visited Poonch in the aftermath of the devastating shelling and met the bereaved families. He asked us to prepare a list of school-going children who lost one or both parents, especially the breadwinners. Accordingly, we submitted the list to him," Karra said.
He added that the party has already identified nearly two dozen such children in Poonch district alone, and more may be added after the conclusion of a three-day visit starting Wednesday.
13 Civilians, Including Four Children, Killed in Poonch in Pakistani Shelling
In the intervening night of May 6 and 7, heavy shelling from across the border claimed 13 lives, including four children aged between 7 and 14.
A mortar shell that landed in Kalni village killed 12-year-old Ayan Khan and his 10-year-old sister, Aruba Khan, when it hit their house. Seven-year-old Mariam Khatoon and 13-year-old Vihaan Bhargav also lost their lives in the bombing.
Other victims included 33-year-old Balwinder Kaur, 55-year-old Amrik Singh, 48-year-old Ranjit Singh, and a Muslim cleric, Qari Mohammad Iqbal—underscoring the indiscriminate nature of the attack. At least 59 people were injured, 44 of them in Poonch alone.
The shelling reduced dozens of homes, shops, and vehicles to rubble. Historical landmarks like the Poonch Fort, religious institutions such as Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, and educational institutions like Christ School were badly damaged. Shells also landed near the UN station and forest department buildings, further adding to the chaos.
Pakistan resorted to shelling and drone attacks in Jammu and Kashmir after the Indian armed forces carried out missile strikes on terror infrastructure across the border under Operation Sindoor. These strikes were in retaliation for the gruesome April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 25 tourists and one local resident were killed.
