• PRC distributes non-food items among 399 families in Poonch and 264 families in Samahni and Barnala tehsils of Bhimber district affected by shelling
• Affected people get mattresses, blankets, quilts, gasoline heaters, stoves and hygiene items
• Firing victims deeply indebted to the Pakistan Red Crescent for relief items and succour

Kashmir is referred to as heaven on earth for its sky-high mountains, snow-capped peaks, dancing streams, mesmerizing waterfall and lush green meadows. Its idyllic setting offers a sight for sore eyes.

Sturdy and hard working men and women can be seen busy in their small fields growing cereals and vegetables and the children playing games under  the cool shades of trees or scurrying to schools with little bags hanging loosely on their backs.

However, all this serenity and purity evaporates in thin air when the guns started spewing fire at the Line of Control (LoC), causing the civilian population to migrate to safer areas where they have to spend sleepless nights in temporary shelters set up by the government and national and international relief agencies.

In this scenario, the inhabitants of Neelum Valley, Poonch, Haveli, Kotli and Bhimber districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) suffer the most.

In keeping with its slogan of “first to reach, last to leave”, the Pakistan Red Crescent in partnership with the international donor agencies always rushes to these areas to succor and rehabilitate the suffering civilian population.

In November, the AJK Branch of the PRC together with the National Headquarters rushed in aid of the firing victims and distributed non-food items (NFIs) among 399 affected families in Poonch and Bhimber districts.

In the first phase, relief items, including mattresses, blankets, quilts, gasoline heaters, stoves and hygiene items were distributed among 135 affected families in Poonch district of Tatta Pani.

In the second phase, the same stuff was distributed among 264 affected families in Samahni and Barnala tehsils of Bhimber district.

The firing victims also shared their feelings with the Pakistan Red Crescent officials and were deeply indebted for the relief items and succor.