India blocking aid for cyclone-hit Sri Lanka: Pakistan
Islamabad: Pakistan’s Foreign Office has said that India is obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka, which is reeling from the aftermath of a powerful cyclone that has claimed more than 400 lives and caused severe flooding and landslides.
According to Kashmir Media Service, in a statement issued on X, the Foreign Office said: “India continues to block humanitarian assistance from Pakistan to Sri Lanka. The special aircraft carrying Pakistan’s humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka continues to face a delay of over 60 hours now awaiting flight clearance from India.
“The partial flight clearance issued by India last night, after 48 hours, was operationally impractical: time-bound for just a few hours and without validity for the return flight, severely hindering this urgent relief mission for the brotherly people of Sri Lanka.”
It is also worth noting that since tensions between the two countries escalated following the Pahalgam attack in April, India and Pakistan have closed their airspace to each other’s aircraft.
