Srinagar: Union Home Minister Amit Shah met families affected by the recent Pakistani shelling in border town Poonch on Friday and handed appointment letters to the next of kin of civilians killed during the conflict earlier this month, post Operation Sindoor.
“Pakistan targeted civilian areas in J&K, and Poonch suffered maximum damage. For the first time post independence, there was firing was on Poonch,” lamented Shah, who was on his first visit to Jammu & Kashmir since Operation Sindoor, accompanied by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
During cross-border hostilities between May 7 and May 10, 28 civilians lost their lives in India, with 14 of the casualties reported from Poonch district.
“The entire world is condemning the attack by Pakistan… The Indian Armed Forces gave a befitting reply by destroying nine Pakistani air bases, and as a result, they had to come forward for a ceasefire,” said Shah.
“In #OperationSindoor, Pakistan, rattled by attacks on terrorist hideouts, targeted residential areas, gurudwaras, and temples in Jammu and Kashmir with gunfire. Today, I met those who lost their loved ones in these cowardly acts, expressed my condolences, and handed them appointment letters. Under Modi ji’s leadership, the entire nation stands shoulder to shoulder with you,” Shah wrote on X and shared pictures of his interaction with victims’ family members.
#OperationSindoor में आतंकी अड्डों पर हुए हमलों से बौखलाए पाकिस्तान ने जम्मू-कश्मीर के रिहायशी इलाकों, गुरुद्वारों और मंदिरों को निशाना बनाकर गोलीबारी की।
इन कायराना कृत्यों में जिन लोगों ने अपने परिजनों को खोया, आज उनसे मिलकर संवेदनाएं प्रकट कीं और उन्हें नियुक्ति पत्र सौंपे।… pic.twitter.com/ybm28WyhxZ
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) May 30, 2025
After India’s Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7 destroyed nine terror sites in Pakistan and PoK to avenge the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistan escalated cross-border shelling and launched missile attacks targeting several places in the border states of Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
India’s Armed forces countered Pakistan’s aggression by striking at several airbases in Pakistan, before a ceasefire was agreed between the two DGMOs on May 10.
“On the night of May 7, we destroyed the terrorist sites in Pakistan and PoJK… This was a befitting reply given to terrorists on behalf of the crores of Indians… Hundreds of terrorists were killed in the operation… We launched an attack on terrorists, but Pakistan considered it an attack on itself. They showed the world that they are the ones who are sheltering terrorists,” Shah said.
The Home minister interacted with Border Security Force (BSF) personnel at its Khanetar unit headquarters, praising their role for the resolute response to Pakistani aggression.
‘BSF destroyed 118 enemy posts’
Shah said 118 enemy posts were destroyed and damaged in retaliatory action along the Jammu frontier.
“When Pakistan responded to our anti-terror operations by attacking our borders and civilian areas, it was the BSF jawans of the Jammu Frontier who retaliated by destroying and damaging over 118 posts,” the Home minister said.
“They dismantled the enemy’s entire surveillance system piece by piece — a system that will take them four to five years to rebuild,” he said.
Shah said, according to information he received from the BSF director general, Pakistan had suffered the biggest blow to its communication systems and surveillance equipment, rendering them “incapable of waging a full-fledged information-based war for quite some time”.
“We have sent a message that India will not tolerate any attack on innocent civilians, and every attack will be responded to with more precision and accuracy,” Shah stated.
Amarnath Yatra security meeting
Shah also visited religious sites damaged in the shelling and reviewed security measures ahead of the Amarnath Yatra.
“The government will leave no stone unturned to provide all required facilities to the Amarnath pilgrims,” Shah said after chairing a high-level security review meeting in Jammu on Thursday night.
“Chaired a review meeting for the Amarnath Pilgrimage and evaluated the security arrangements and preparedness meant for the pilgrims. Instructed to maintain utmost vigilance and ensure seamless completion of the sacred journey,” Shah posted on X.
The annual Amarnath Yatra, which attracts thousands of devotees from across the country, is scheduled to commence on July 3 and conclude on August 9.
