Govt mulling not to allow Indian airlines to use airspace: Sarwar

ISLAMABAD: Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan says it has been more than a month now that the people of India-held Jammu and Kashmir have no access to food, medicine, and hospitals.

In an interview with an Indian newspaper, he said there is a shortage of food, and students could not go to schools or colleges owing to an unprecedented day and night curfew in the occupied territory.

“India attacked Pakistan after the Pulwama incident. We only responded, and successfully so. India closed its airspace after [the] Balakot [air strikes], we retaliated. But we opened the airspace again as a goodwill gesture,” the minister said.

Unfortunately, he added, India has taken goodwill gestures as a sign of weakness.

Mr Khan said India continued to flout international laws and the Modi government was least bothered about its “reprehensible” conduct in Kashmir.

“We got India’s request for their President’s flight. It was discussed with all relevant quarters and decided that enough is enough, no more concessions for India”

“Different options are under consideration at the moment regarding Pakistani airspace’s use for Indian flights. Apart from VVIP flights, we are considering not to allow Indian Airlines to use our airspace,” he said.