Twins who were born together, died together in Poonch shelling, buried side by side

New Indian Express

18-05-2025

POONCH: Twins Urba Fatima and Zain Ali, both aged 12, from Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir, were born together and died together on the morning of May 7, after a shell fired by Pakistani troops struck them while the family of four was trying to escape the shelling and move to safer ground.
The twins, who had shared every moment of their short lives, now lie buried side by side in the graveyard.
The family of four, Urba, Zain, their father Rameez Ahmad Khan, and their mother Ursha Khan, had been living in a rented accommodation in the Dongas area of Poonch town.
When the shelling began on the night of May 7, fear gripped the family, especially the children, who were terrified after hearing the loud explosions and blasts for the first time in their lives.
'The twins' father called one of his relatives (brother-in-law) to pick them up from the area and move them to safer locations,' said one of their uncles, Altaf Ahmed.
Their uncle reached the area at around 6.30 am while the shelling was still ongoing.