Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday accused India of blocking a special relief aircraft carrying humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka, saying the flight has been waiting for clearance for more than 60 hours.
In a statement posted on X, the ministry said the aircraft, which is carrying emergency supplies for flood-affected Sri Lankans, has faced repeated delays due to a lack of overflight approval from India.
According to the statement, India granted only a “partial flight clearance” after 48 hours, but Pakistan described it as “operationally impractical” because the approval was valid for only a few hours and did not include permission for the return leg.
Islamabad said the limitations “severely hindered” its attempt to dispatch urgent relief for “the brotherly people of Sri Lanka.”
There was no immediate response from Indian authorities regarding the allegation. (Newswire)
