Youths donate blood, civilians rally in support of armed forces in Jammu

In a show of solidarity with the armed forces, scores of youth thronged the Government Medical College Hospital in Jammu on Wednesday to donate blood for those injured in Pakistani shelling.

Besides, pro-military demonstrations erupted across the region in the wake of Operation Sindoor — India’s retaliatory missile strikes early Wednesday on nine terror infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), including the Jaish-e-Mohammad’s stronghold in Bahawalpur and the Lashkar-e-Taiba base in Muridke.

The strikes came in response to the horrific terror attack in Pahalgam in which 26 civilians were killed in cold blood on April 22.

The blood donation campaign witnessed overwhelming participation from young citizens, many of whom stood in long queues at the hospital. “We have donated blood as a commitment to be ready for any eventuality,” said BJP MLA Arvind Gupta, who also joined the initiative.

“More youth should come forward and contribute to the nation,” he told reporters here.

Mohit Jamwal, one of the volunteers, said over a hundred youths had already donated blood.

“This is for those injured in Pakistani shelling. More people are joining voluntarily,” he said.

Parallel to the humanitarian gesture, several demonstrations were held across Jammu and parts of Kathua, where civilians carrying the national flag raised slogans hailing the Indian Army, Air Force and Navy for the precision strikes on terror camps.

One such demonstration, led by Rakesh Kumar, president of the Rashtriya Bajrang Dal, drew a large crowd. “We are proud of our forces. The nation salutes their bravery and strategic action,” Kumar said while waving the tricolour.

The demonstrators expressed their gratitude for what they termed a “massive and commendable” operation against terrorist outfits operating from Pakistani soil and PoK.

As patriotic fervour surged through the streets of Jammu, the message from the ground was clear — solidarity with the armed forces and unwavering resolve in the face of cross-border terrorism.