Pakistan says won’t open airspace until India withdraws jets from forward airbases

Pakistan has told India that it will not open its airspace for commercial flights until the IAF fighter jets are removed from forward airbases, a top aviation official has informed a parliamentary committee, as Islamabad on Friday for the fifth time extended the airspace ban along its eastern border with India till July 26.

Pakistan fully closed its airspace on February 26 after theIndian Air Force (IAF) fighter jets struck a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) trainingcamp in Balakot following the Pulwama attack in Kashmir.

   

Pakistan’s Aviation Secretary Shahrukh Nusrat, who is alsothe Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), on Thursdayinformed the Senate Standing Committee on Aviation that his department has intimatedIndian officials that Pakistani airspace would remain unavailable for use byIndia until the country withdraws its fighter jets from forward positions, DawnNews reported.

“The Indian government approached asking us to open theairspace. We conveyed our concerns that first India must withdraw its fighterplanes placed forward,” Nusrat told the committee.

This is probably the first time a senior Pakistani officialhas publicly stated Islamabad’s precondition for reopening its airspace afterthe Balakot air strikes.

He apprised the committee that Indian officials havecontacted Pakistan requesting it to lift the airspace restrictions.

“However, Indian officials have been told that Indianairbases are still laden with fighter jets and Pakistan will not allowresumption of flight operations from India until their removal,” saidNusrat.

Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said in anotice that the Pakistani airspace will be closed until July 26 along itseastern border with India.

“The Panjgoor airspace will remain open for overflyingtransit flights from the western side as Air India had already been using thatairspace,” the notice said.

A CAA official told PTI that the Pakistan government will review whether to open its space for Indian flights or not on July 26. “However, this issue is a bilateral one and no progress will be made till both Islamabad and New Delhi decide it mutually,” he said. PTI

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