Can't question army on retaliating to Pakistani firing: Rahul Gandhi

Retaliating to the Pakistani firing on the borders in Jammu and Kashmir was the prerogative of the Indian Army and it cannot be questioned on that, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi said on Wednesday.

Speaking to family members of six people killed in Pakistani shelling in Balakote sector of the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district on August 15, Gandhi said: "The country stands with these people as they stand on the country's borders."

Gandhi assured the families that everything needed would be done for their relief and rehabilitation.

He also spoke with other residents of the border area to get a first hand account of the situation on the LoC following frequent ceasefire violations by Pakistan.

Gandhi arrived in Jammu on Wednesday morning and flew to Balakote in a helicopter. State Congress president Ghulam Ahmad Mir accompanied Gandhi.

The Congress vice president is scheduled to visit the Kashmir Valley on Thursday, and Ladakh before ending his three-day visit to the state on Friday.