As tensions simmer along the Line of Control following India’s targeted strikes under Operation Sindoor, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will visit Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday to meet families affected by recent Pakistani artillery shelling, Congress general secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir confirmed.

"Rahul Gandhi is visiting Poonch to meet the families affected by Pakistani shelling. He wants to extend solidarity with the bereaved families," Mir said.

This marks Rahul Gandhi’s second visit to the Union Territory in less than a month, following his April 22 trip to Pahalgam after the terrorist attack that claimed 26 lives, most of them tourists. During that visit, Gandhi said the intention behind such attacks is to divide the country and stressed the importance of national unity in combating terrorism.

The upcoming visit to Poonch comes in the aftermath of a deadly wave of cross-border hostilities. Between May 8 and 10, Pakistani forces reportedly carried out intense artillery shelling, drone strikes, and missile attacks in response to India’s preemptive offensive — Operation Sindoor — launched on May 7. The operation targeted nine terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), including the Jaish-e-Mohammed (Bahawalpur) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (Muridke) headquarters.

The retaliatory Pakistani shelling left 27 civilians dead and more than 70 injured, devastating several villages across the Poonch sector in Jammu.

Congress sources say Rahul Gandhi’s visit aims to not just show support but also draw national attention to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in border villages, as residents deal with loss, trauma, and destruction.

Rahul Gandhi has been consistent in his criticism of terrorism and cross-border violence. On his previous visit, he had remarked: “The goal of terrorism is to divide India internally. We must unite as a nation to defeat it.”