J-K CM Omar Abdullah visits Poonch, meets bereaved families

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Monday reached out to people affected by Pakistani shelling in Poonch district, and stressed the need to set up bunkers in the area.

Poonch district accounted for 20 of the total 27 Indian fatalities in the shelling, with over 50 others injured since Wednesday, shortly after India carried out , striking nine terror infrastructures in Pakistan and PoK in retaliation for the 22 April Pahalgam attack that left 26 people dead and was allegedly masterminded by Pakistan-based The Resistance Front, an affiliate of the banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Abdullah, along with his advisor Nasir Aslam Wani and MLA Ajaz Jan, visited Poonch and surveyed areas heavily damaged by Pakistani shelling.

They met with the families of those killed in the shelling, especially the family of Amarjeet Singh and Amrik Singh, and offered their condolences to the bereaved kin.

Reached Poonch early this morning to take stock of the situation following the recent cross-border shelling.

I will be meeting the families who have lost their loved ones to offer my condolences. Later, I will hold a meeting with the district administration to assess the ground… pic.twitter.com/wERrFM42jD

— Office of Chief Minister, J&K (@CM_JnK) May 12, 2025

Locals briefed the chief minister about the on-ground situation. The purpose of the visit was to provide support and comfort to the grieving families, the leaders said.

Abdullah also visited the Surankote area and interacted with locals of the border areas who had been shifted to safer locations. He was briefed by his minister Javed Rana on the measures being taken by the administration.

The chief minister stressed the need for constructing bunkers for border residents to ensure their safety. He is also slated to visit Rajouri.

Monday was largely peaceful in Jammu and Kashmir with no firing from across the Pakistani frontier reported along the border overnight, marking the first such night in recent days.

New Delhi and Islamabad — which US President Donald Trump claimed had been mediated by the US — on Saturday afternoon to halt military actions with immediate effect after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.

With PTI inputs