Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Saturday arrived in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir to meet the families affected by Pakistani cross-border shelling during the Indo-Pak standoff earlier this month.

India and Pakistan came on the brink of an all-out war after Islamabad-backed terrorists carried out a deadly attack on tourists at Baisaran meadow near the tourist town of Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir.

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In response to the terror attack, India launched targeted strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. However, the Pakistani military escalated the situation by launching drone and missile attacks on civilian areas and military sites.

While the air attack by Pakistan was neutralised effectively by Indian air defences, the cross-border shelling by its troops in Poonch killed at least 13 innocent civilians and damaged several homes.

During his visit, the Congress leader will meet the family members of those who lost their lives in the Pakistani shelling.

Ahead of his visit, Congress MP and AICC General Secretary in charge of Jammu & Kashmir, Syed Naseer Hussain, said: “The way Pakistan attacked civilians, 13 people were killed and many were injured. There has been a lot of damage. That is why Rahul Gandhi is coming here today to meet the people. We wanted Rahul Gandhi to come here earlier, but permission was not being given.”

After the barbaric April 22 Pahalgam attack, Rahul Gandhi had also met the kin of the deceased.