Pakistan Refuses PM Narendra Modi Flight Use Of Airspace, Links Decision To Jammu And Kashmir

The ministry of external affairs official spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said: “We regret the decision of the government of Pakistan to deny overflight clearance for the VVIP special flight for a second time in two weeks, which is otherwise granted routinely by any normal country. Pakistan should reflect upon its decision to deviate from well-established international practice, as well as reconsider its old habit of misrepresenting the reasons for taking unilateral action. Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said in a video statement on Wednesday that permission was refused due to the situation in Jammu & Kashmir. “A request was received from India that Indian PM Modi wishes to go to Germany and seeks to use the airspace for an overflight on the 20th September and wishes to use the same for a return flight on the 28th,” Qureshi said. “Keeping in view the situation” in Kashmir “and India’s attitude witnessed in the tyranny…, we have decided not to grant this request”. Pakistan had earlier this month turned down a similar request for President Ram Nath Kovind when he flew to Europe, increasing his flying time also by 50 minutes. The alternate route from Delhi, bypassing Pakistan airspace, means flying close to Mumbai and then taking the Arabian Sea-Muscat route onward to Europe. The straight route would have entailed flying from Delhi over Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran to Europe.