NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi visited Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch on Saturday and met families affected by recent heavy crossborder shelling by Pakistan.The region, especially Poonch and Rajouri districts, has suffered due to unprovoked firing from the Pakistani side, which damaged homes and disrupted livelihoods.Congress MP said, “Now, you have seen danger and a little bit of a frightening situation, but don’t worry, everything will come back to normal. Your way of responding to this problem should be that you study and play really hard and make a lot of friends in school.”After meeting bereaved families, Congress MP Gandhi visited Gurudwara Shri Guru Singh Sabha in Poonch, which was damaged in crossborder shelling by Pakistan.Rahul Gandhi’s visit was confirmed a day earlier by Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah, who appreciated political leaders reaching out to the affected people. “Yes, he will visit Poonch. He will meet the people there and express his sympathies. I am thankful to the TMC for initiating it. Five of their members came here and visited by road. They visited Poonch, and they are now in Rajouri. Then they will visit Jammu. It is good that they came here and are listening to the people. And we feel that some people are standing with us in such difficult times,” Abdullah said.The Jammu and Kashmir government, led by Omar Abdullah in alliance with the Congress, has announced an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh for the families of those killed in the shelling.