Pakistan could again close its airspace for Indian flights amid rising tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations due to flare-up on the Kashmir issue. Pakistan has earlier also closed its airspace after Indian jets violated its airspace and attacked, what New Delhi termed as, terror camps.
India-Afghanistan Trade Via ‘Air Corridor’ Takes a Big Hit With Pakistan Airspace Closure
According to Times of Islamabad’ sources, New Delhi’ amendment of the contentious Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir has caused new problems on the eastern border. Pakistan is anticipating February-like aerial aggression from the Indian side; thus, an airspace closure is deemed necessary.
Spokesperson of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Mashood Tajwar has said that opening the airspace for India didn’t help the airline. He says that operating flights for India is not economically suited due to a low influx of passengers.
Pakistan lifted the ban on flights headed to and coming from India in mid-July, after five months of closure. Both sides had closed off their airspace following a military standoff in February.
Earlier, Pakistan PM Imran Khan established a seven-member committee to advise legal, political and diplomatic response against the Indian Governments’ controversial actions in Jammu and Kashmir.
The high-powered committee would include Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Attorney-General of Pakistan, Anwar Mansoor Khan, Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood, and the PM’s special envoy, Ahmed Bilal Sufi, as well as the director-general of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Military Operations, and the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
