(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) Poonch- Rahul Gandhi stood silent outside a broken home in Poonch on Saturday, listening to a woman recall how her sons, Zain and Zohaib, never made it to breakfast.
The two boys were among the 15 civilians killed when shells rained over this border district earlier this month, in one of the deadliest episodes of Indo-Pak escalation in recent years.
The Congress leader arrived mid-morning, unaccompanied by fanfare.
He walked through narrow lanes where homes still smelled of smoke and metal. At each stop, he sat with families, heard their stories, and asked about the things they needed most.
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In his words, it was“a very big tragedy.” In theirs, it was a life turned upside down.
“I spoke to the people, tried to understand their problems,” Gandhi told reporters after the visit.“They told me they want to raise some things at the national level. I will raise them.”
The shelling, which started on May 7 and continued for four days, left 43 injured and entire neighborhoods scarred.
Most of the victims were either inside their homes or tending to livestock when the shells hit.
At a small seminary near border, the fragments punched through tin roofs and classrooms alike. One of the teachers, Qari Mohammad Iqbal, lost his life in the blast. Some national media falsely painted him as a terror sympathizer. Gandhi made it a point to meet his family too.
“He hugged me and said the country will know the truth,” Iqbal's relative later said, wiping his eyes.
The town's mood was mournful when Gandhi stopped by to meet some young men narrating their ordeal. He also visited a local school and encouraged students to keep studying, promising them that things would return to normal.
“These patriotic families bear the biggest burden of war,” he said.“They do it with courage and dignity. Salute to their courage.”
The political reactions came quickly. BJP leaders accused Gandhi of calling the incident a“tragedy” to soften the context of cross-border terrorism.
“This is not a natural disaster,” one party spokesperson said in Delhi.“He is whitewashing the real issue.”
Gandhi didn't respond to the criticism directly. But during the visit, he stayed focused on the people. His team noted that he spent over an hour in the area, refusing tight security.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah already announced that officials were finishing up their damage assessments and that a relief package would be rolled out soon.“We're in talks with the Centre,” he said.“The people of Poonch will not be left behind.”
For now, many residents are relying on relatives and community support. Food donations have come in from NGOs, but shelter remains a big challenge.
With the monsoon approaching, families whose homes were destroyed say they fear what comes next.
Still, a sense of dignity runs deep here. One resident who lost his niece in the shelling, said he was grateful that someone from Delhi came not just to speak, but to listen.
“He came without drama,” he said.“That's rare these days.”
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