India-Pakistan crisis: Six civilians killed as shelling continues on Kashmir border

Eight people killed in total as tensions between two nuclear-armed states escalates

Police and media wait for the return of Indian at the India-Pakistan Wagah border (AFP/Getty)

Six civilians have been killed after violence continued to escalate between India and Pakistan in Kashmir.

Indian police said two siblings and their mother were killed in Indian-controlled Kashmir after a shell fired by Pakistani soldiers hit their home.

In Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, government official Umar Azam said Indian troops with heavy weapons “indiscriminately targeted border villagers”, killing a boy and wounding three other people.

He added that several homes were destroyed by the shelling.

After a brief period of respite, two further civilians were killed in separate fighting as the shelling recommenced.

Pakistan’s military said two of its soldiers were also killed after an exchange with Indian forces near the Line of Control that separates the two countries in Kashmir.

Tensions have been running high since an Indian aircraft carried out a strike in Pakistan against militants which it claimed had conducted a suicide bombing which killed 40 Indian troops.

The situation continued to escalate and on Wednesday Pakistan shot down an Indian fighter jet and captured its pilot.

The pilot was later returned to India in what was described as a “peace gesture”.

Officials from both countries blamed each other for “unprovoked” violations of the 2003 ceasefire accord at several sectors along the Kashmir frontier.

Since tensions increased following last month’s suicide attack, world leaders have scrambled to head off an all-out war between India and Pakistan.

The rivals have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir since their independence from British rule in 1947.

Additional reporting by agencies