New Delhi: Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has decided to bear the educational expenses of 22 children from Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir who lost their parents in Pakistani shelling during Operation Sindoor.
This was confirmed by Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Tariq Hamid Karra. According to him, Gandhi will bear the educational expenses of those children in Poonch, who lost both their parents or the family’s sole bread-earner in Pakistani shelling. The first instalment of the aid would be released on Wednesday to enable the children to continue their studies, Karra said.
“The assistance will continue till these children graduate,” the state Congress chief added.
During a visit to Poonch shortly after the cessation of hostilities between the two countries, Gandhi had asked local party leaders to compile a list of affected children. Subsequently, a survey was conducted and the names of the children were finalised after cross-checking government records.
The MP had then visited the Christ Public School, whose students — 12-year-old twins Urba Fatima and Zain Ali — were among the casualties.
“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, 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,” he told the children during this visit.
Poonch town bore the brunt of indiscriminate shelling by Pakistan during the three-day conflict following the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22. Among the victims was Vihaan Bhargav who was killed by shrapnel while his family was trying to leave the town. Nearly half a dozen children were injured after Pakistan shelled a religious school, Zia ul Aloom.
