Six civilians, including a village sarpanch, were killed and four were injured in Balakote as Pakistan intensified unprovoked mortar shelling along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Saturday. Basoni sarpanch Karamat Hussain and Abdul Rehman were in a car when a shell hit the vehicle, killing them. Others who died in the shelling were Mohd Amin, Mohd Shiraj and 10-year-old Moin Khan. Deputy Commissioner Nissar Ahmed Wani could confirm the death of only two people, saying that one died on the spot while another succumbed to injuries at the hospital. The administration was making arrangements to airlift those seriously injured to Jammu, he added. Pointing out that the injured included men, women and children, sources said the shelling at Balakote started around 12.30 pm. It continued in the evening, with Pakistani troops firing 60-120 mm mortars. The Indian army, on its part, was retaliating, said sources.
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