India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri slammed Pakistan on Friday for targeting and shelling places of worship, including gurdwaras, churches, temples, and even schools, saying, “This is a new low even for Pakistan.”

Replying to a question during the MEA press briefing on Operation Sindoor and the multiple drone strikes by Pakistan on Thursday night, Misri said, “We do have some information about this extremely regrettable and condemnable incident. During heavy shelling across the LOC in the early morning of 7 May, a shell fired from Pakistan landed just behind the Christ School in Poonch run by the Carmelites of the Mary Immaculate Congregation. The shell hit the home of two students of the school, who unfortunately lost their lives and their parents sustained injuries.”

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“Several school staff and locals took refuge in an underground hall of the school during the shelling by Pakistan. The school was fortunately closed, otherwise more losses would have occurred. Pakistan is targeting and shelling places of worship with a particular design, including gurdwaras, churches and temples. This is a new low even for Pakistan,” he added.

“Between 6 and 7 am, a shell fired from Pakistan landed just behind Christ School in Poonch, hitting the home of two students of the school. Tragically, both students lost their lives, and their parents were severely injured,” Bishop Ivan Pereira told local mediapersons.

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Two priests remain on the school campus, while the others, including priests, sisters, and staff, have relocated to safer areas. Some residents of Poonch have also moved to Jammu for safety.

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Besides, a convent belonging to the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel (CMC), a Syro-Malabar Catholic religious congregation, also sustained damage when another shell destroyed water tanks and solar panel infrastructure.

Fortunately, the school, which is run by the CMI congregation, was closed, so there were no casualties.

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The violence follows India’s Operation Sindoor, launched early on Wednesday, May 7, when Indian armed forces conducted precision strikes targeting nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoK) in retaliation for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 25 Indians and a Nepali citizen.
As a precautionary measure, authorities have ordered the closure of educational institutions across Jammu and Kashmir and evacuated residents from vulnerable areas.