5 members of family killed, 2 injured in Pak shelling in J&K's Poonch

Srinagar: Five members of a family were killed and two others injured in Pakistani shelling along Line of Control (LoC) on Sunday in Balakote sector of Poonch district, Jammu and Kashmir police said.

Mohammad Ramzan, his wife and three sons were killed as shells hit their house in the Balakote sector. His two daughters are injured, reports said.

The injured were shifted to the hospital, Jammu and Kashmir DGP SP Vaid said.

The ceasefire violation comes amidst heightened tensions in diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan.

Pakistan had earlier this week, called home its envoy in India Sohail Mahmood for consultations after repeated incidents of "harassment" of its diplomatic staff in New Delhi.

However, the Ministry of External Affairs had downplayed Pakistan's move as "routine". It said that the Indian High Commission in Islamabad was also facing a "litany of issues" which have not been resolved for several months by that country.

India on Saturday, gave a Note Verbale to Pakistan through its high commission in Islamabad protesting the "intimidation and harassment" of its staff there, the 12th such diplomatic note in less than three months.