India rejects Pakistan’s claim of airspace approval delay for Sri Lanka aid

India on Tuesday rejected Pakistan’s allegation that New Delhi blocked its request to use Indian airspace for sending humanitarian assistance to cyclone-hit Sri Lanka.

Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the claim from Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs was “ridiculous” and an attempt to spread “anti-India misinformation”.

Jaiswal said that India received the request for overflight clearance for a Pakistani aircraft carrying aid at around 1 pm on Monday and given the urgency, processed it the same day, granting permission at 5.30 pm in line with the proposed itinerary.

“India remains committed to assisting the people of Sri Lanka in these challenging times through all available means,” the spokesperson added.

Islamabad had on the same day alleged that New Delhi was “severely hindering this urgent relief mission” by delaying permission to use Indian airspace.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office claimed that a special aircraft carrying humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka faced delays for over 60 hours on account of the lack of flight clearance from India.

It claimed that a partial clearance issued after 48 hours was operationally impractical because it was valid only for a short period and did not include approval for the return flight.

Pakistan’s foreign office later announced that 200 tonnes of humanitarian assistance had been dispatched by sea after delays in securing overflight approval.

Since November 28,...

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