'New low even for Pakistan': Foreign Secretary blasts Islamabad for targeting gurudwara, schools in Poonch

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Friday that Pakistan targeted Indian cities and some civilian infrastructure, apart from some Indian military targets, on Thursday. Misri said that Pakistan went on to target schools and places of worship, including gurudwaras, temples and convents in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch, as part of its offensive against India, on May 8. 

On Wednesday morning, Pakistan's heavy artillery and mortar shelling along the LoC in Poonch district, Jammu and Kashmir, resulted in the deaths of at least 13 civilians, including four children and three members of the Sikh community, and injured 59 others. A local gurdwara was also damaged.

Calling it a "new low even for Pakistan," he said at the press briefing on Friday: "We have seen the Pakistani side targeting and shelling the places of worship, including gurudwaras, convents and temples."

Misri said that the gurudwara was attacked by Pakistan, resulting in the loss of lives of local Sikh community members in the incident. He further said that instead of owning up to these heinous acts, Pakistan tried to pin the blame on India for targeting these places. "Instead of owning up to these attacks, Pakistan made the outrageous claim that it was India that was targeting these places and trying to pin the blame on Pakistan." 

Besides this, he said that to think India would attack its cities is "a deranged fantasy only Pakistan can come up with." He said that Pakistan does all of this simply because it is well-versed in peddling falsehoods. 

Furthermore, he said that there was disinformation from Pakistan that India attempted to target a gurudwara in a drone attack. "This is yet another blatant lie and part of Pakistan’s disinformation campaign. Pakistan is trying to impart a communal hue with the intention to create discord. India’s steadfast unity is itself a challenge for Pakistan," Misri added. 

He even said that the Indian government also has information regarding an incident that took place on the morning of May 7. After the Indian Armed Forces successfully conducted Operation Sindoor, Misri claimed that a shell fired by the Pakistan Army landed just behind Christ School in Poonch. 

"Tragically, the shell hit the home of 2 students. Both students unfortunately lost their lives, and their parents are injured," he further said. The Foreign Secretary added that school staff and locals took refuge in an underground hall of the school during the shelling. 

"The school was fortunately closed, otherwise more losses would have occurred." Vikram Misri mentioned that another shell fired by Pakistan hit a Christian convent of nuns and damaged water tanks and solar panel infrastructure in the vicinity. 

Pakistan launched drone and missile attacks on the night of May 8 and has been consistently violating the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) ever since India conducted Operation Sindoor, a series of precision strikes against nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.