Born Together, Died Together: Poonch Twins Killed In Pakistan Shelling
Urba and Zain were among the 27 fatalities, including security personnel, resulting from the intense shelling. Their father, Rameez, sustained grave injuries in the same incident
Born just five minutes apart on April 25, 2014, twelve-year-old twins Urba Fatima and Zain Ali from the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir shared an inseparable bond. From their earliest days, the brother and sister were constant companions, navigating life side-by-side.
Tragically, in the early hours of May 7, this close connection extended even to their deaths, as they were killed within moments of each other by cross-border shelling from Pakistan.
'They died within minutes of each other," their maternal uncle, Adil Pathan, recounted to The Indian Express.
Urba and Zain were among the 27 fatalities, including security personnel, resulting from the intense shelling in Jammu and Kashmir. Their father, Rameez, a teacher, sustained grave injuries in the same incident.
The deadly shelling occurred against a backdrop of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, following a terror attack that claimed 26 lives. On the same day as the twins' deaths, May 7, India launched retaliatory strikes targeting terrorist sites in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan.
Originally hailing from Kalai village, about 10 km from Poonch town, the twelve-year-old twins Urba and Zain had recently relocated with their parents, Rameez (47) and Ursha Khan (in her 40s), to a rented house in Poonch just two months prior, seeking better educational opportunities at Christ School where they were in Class 4 and had recently celebrated their birthday, according to their uncle Adil.
The twins and their father, Rameez, were the first to emerge, Adil recounted. It was at that moment that a shell struck nearby, instantly killing Urba and Zain and severely injuring Rameez. Amidst the chaos of people fleeing for safety, Adil managed to get all three into his vehicle and rushed them to the Poonch district hospital, where the young twins were tragically declared dead.
First Published:
May 14, 2025, 11:32 IST
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