“New Low Even For Pakistan”: Indian Govt Accuses Pak of “Targeting Places of Worship

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 9th May: The Indian government today accused Pakistan of deliberately “targeting places of worship” during recent shelling along the border in Jammu and Kashmir, stating that several “gurudwaras, convents and temples” were damaged. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri condemned this action as a “new low even for Pakistan.”

Speaking at a joint briefing, Misri, flanked by Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, highlighted a “particular design” behind Pakistan’s targeting and shelling of religious sites.

The strained ties between India and Pakistan deteriorated following a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22, which resulted in the deaths of 26 people, mostly tourists. India has blamed Pakistan for the attack, a charge Islamabad has refuted. In response, India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, targeting nine terror bases in Pakistan. Since these strikes, heavy shelling by Pakistan has been reported from the forward areas of Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch and Rajouri districts.

Detailing specific incidents, Misri mentioned that during heavy shelling on May 7, a shell fired from Pakistan landed behind the Christ School in Poonch, tragically hitting the home of two students of the school. Both students lost their lives, and their parents were severely injured. Another Pakistani shell struck a Christian convent of nuns belonging to the Congregation of Mother Carmel, causing damage to water tanks and solar panel infrastructure. Nuns, school staff, and local residents took refuge in an underground hall beneath the school during the shelling. Fortunately, the school was closed at the time, averting further casualties.

The foreign secretary reiterated that Pakistan’s targeting of Gurudwaras, these convents, and temples showed a deliberate design and represented “a new low even for Pakistan.”

Misri also strongly refuted Pakistan’s claims that India was targeting its own cities, including Amritsar, to blame Islamabad. Pakistan had also denied attacking any religious places. “Instead of owning up to these attacks, Pakistan made the preposterous and outrageous claim that it was the Indian Armed Forces and the Indian Air Force that were targeting cities like Amritsar and trying to blame Pakistan,” Misri said. He dismissed this as a “desperate attempt by Pakistan to disown its acts of aggression,” consistent with its pattern of “deceiving and misleading the world,” adding, “It will not succeed.”

He recalled sharing information “yesterday” (May 8) about an attack on a Gurudwara in Poonch where local members of the Sikh community, including a Ragi, lost their lives.

The government further dismissed Pakistan’s allegation that India would attack its own cities as a “deranged fantasy” that “only the Pakistani state could come up with,” suggesting Pakistan is “well-versed in such actions.”

Addressing Pakistan’s “disinformation campaign,” Misri specifically called out the claim about India targeting the Nankana Sahib Gurdwara through a drone attack as a “blatant lie” and an attempt to “give a communal hue to the situation with the intention to create discord.” He added that India is “not surprised” by such attempts, as India’s steadfast unity is a challenge to Pakistan.

Earlier on Thursday evening, India successfully thwarted Pakistan’s attempts to strike military sites and multiple cities in northern and western regions of the country, including military stations in Jammu, Pathankot, and Udhampur. According to highly-placed sources, India utilized advanced defence systems including S-400 Triumph missile systems, Barak-8 missiles, Akash surface-to-air missiles, and DRDO’s anti-drone technologies to repel the attacks. As a safeguard against possible air strikes, blackouts were enforced in several cities across Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.