Meets family of civilian killed in Pak shelling in Jammu, assures support
Jammu: Asserting that India has always stood for peace, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday said the recent attack in Pahalgam was nothing short of an “act of war” perpetrated by Pakistan.
He said the Indian armed forces avenged the attack through Operation Sindoor, a mission that he said should serve as a lesson to the neighbour.
“India always advocated for peace. It never wants a war but what happened in Pahalgam was an act of war by terror state Pakistan”, Sinha said during his visit to the shelter and lodgement centre at Sahib Bandgi ashram in Mishriwala area of Jammu.
“With Operation Sindoor, we have avenged Pahalgam. I am proud of our soldiers and armed forces. Our war was to teach Pakistan a lesson,” he said.
Sinha met the families displaced by the recent cross-border shelling and reassured them of the government’s full support.
“Our armed forces have time and again demonstrated their capability to respond decisively to any threat posed by Pakistan. This country harbours and exports terror, causing immense suffering through its actions in our territory,” he added.
He said the nation stands in solidarity with the victims and reaffirmed the Government of India and Union Territory administration’s commitment to ensuring the safety and security of all citizens.
Speaking on the retaliatory military action, the LG said, “On the night of May 6–7, our armed forces executed a precise and powerful strike through Operation Sindoor.”
“The operation not only demonstrated our unwavering resolve and commendable restraint but also demolished terror factories across the border and avenged the killing of innocent civilians in Pahalgam,” Sinha said.
“Our armed forces have made it clear: any threat to the safety of our people will be met with such a response that it will be remembered for seven generations in Pakistan,” Sinha said.
He also underlined India’s firm stance on its sovereignty and territorial integrity and said, “We will never compromise on our sovereignty. Our resolve is to dismantle the entire terror ecosystem from Jammu and Kashmir.”
He expressed gratitude to individuals and organisations extending help to the affected families.
He assured that new bunkers would be constructed as per updated assessments to ensure the safety of residents living near the border.
Earlier, LG visited the family of Zakir Hussain who was killed in Pakistani shelling here. He offered condolences to the family and assured them of full support from the administration.
Forty five-year-old Hussain was killed and two others, including a young girl, were injured when Pakistani forces resorted to shelling in Kheri Keran village of Bantalab area on the outskirts of Jammu on May 7.
The shelling came in the wake of Indian Army’s strikes on nine terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, carried out in response to the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam that left 26 people dead.
Accompanied by former minister and BJP leader Sham Lal Sharma, the Lieutenant Governor visited Kheri Keran village to meet the bereaved family and assured them of all possible assistance.
“(I) offered my heartfelt condolences and assured the family of all assistance and support from administration,” Sinha said on X.
Family members of the deceased demanded that Zakir Hussain’s name be included in the list of martyrs since 1947.
“We demand his name be recognised among martyrs and that the family be allotted a petrol pump for sustenance,” a family member told reporters.
They also urged the administration to enhance the compensation, stating that the Rs 10 lakh ex-gratia amount announced so far is insufficient to secure the future of Hussain’s children.
The situation across Jammu and Kashmir remained largely peaceful on Monday with no ceasefire violations reported overnight, marking the first calm night in over two weeks.
India and Pakistan on Saturday reached an understanding to halt all military action on land, air and sea with immediate effect, following four days of intense cross-border hostilities that brought the nuclear-armed neighbours to the brink of a full-scale war.
