Goa, July 29 -- Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has pledged to sponsor the education of 22 children from Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district who lost one or both parents during Pakistani shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in May 2025. The shelling, which occurred between May 7 and 10, followed India's Operation Sindoor-a military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives.

Gandhi visited Poonch soon after the cross-border attacks and met with the bereaved families. He directed local Congress leaders to compile a list of school-aged children who had been orphaned or lost their primary caregivers. So far, 22 children have been identified, with more expected to be added as the ongoing survey concludes. ...