The Indian Army carried out a door-to-door aid campaign in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, especially in areas near the Line of Control (LoC) which were recently severely affected by Pakistani shelling.
As part of the outreach effort, the army personnel distributed the necessary supply to the citizens affected by cross-border enmity after Operation Sindor, which was launched on 22 April in response to the Pahgam terror attack, killing 26 people, including Nepali National.
The soldiers of the Army’s Romeo force also interacted with the local people to understand their needs and to provide assurance during the ongoing security situation.
A resident of Poonach shared how the army’s presence gave him the courage to live. “We stayed here even during a war -like situation. The army that fought for us, we stayed here because they are fighting for us and without their families. It is because of them, we are living today,” the resident said.
Mohammad Asif, another local whose house was badly damaged in shelling on 9 May described its current position.
“There was heavy shelling here, causing heavy losses to our house. There is no scope for us to live here. Therefore, we live in our neighbor’s house. The Indian Army has come here. They have helped us a lot, we got a lot of help with medicines. They told us that we are facing any problem. Whether we are facing any problem.” Asif told him.
During the intense shelling by Pakistan on the morning of 7 May, a shell landed behind the Christ School in Poonach, run by a Christian congregation’s Carmelights of Mary Imaculat. Shell killed the house of two school students, both of them lost their lives and their parents were seriously injured.
Another shell fired from Pakistan killed a Christian convent of the nuns belonging to the mother of Carmel Kangragation. The explosion damaged the water tank and destroyed the solar panels.
Amid shelling, several priests, nuns, school staff and residents sought security in an underground hall under the Christ School.
Indian armed forces strongly responded to aggression, targeting several military positions across the border. Later, the two countries agreed to prevent firing and military action by the Director General of Pakistan’s military operations (DGMO). (AI)
