SCO moot: Pakistan seeks permission for FM Bilawal’s flight

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) has contacted the Indian aviation authorities to seek permission for Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s special flight, citing sources, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

Pakistan sought permission from the Indian aviation authority for FM Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s special flight who will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) moot in Goa tomorrow.

The PCAA sought an air route from India for operating the foreign minister’s flight. The PCAA has options for using two air routes for FM Bilawal’s flight from Islamabad and Karachi, sources added.

READ: FAWAD CRITICISES FM BILAWAL BHUTTO ZARDARI’S VISIT TO INDIA

The Indian authorities have no yet responded to the PCAA’s request. The foreign minister is expected to return to the county on May 5.

FM Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will leave for India tomorrow to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Goa. He will be the first Pakistani foreign minister to visit India in nearly 12 years.

According to MOFA spokesperson Mumtaz Zahrah Baloch, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will be leading the Pakistan delegation to the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM), which will take place in the Indian city of Goa on May 4 and 5.

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Pakistan’s foreign minister will also hold meetings on the sidelines of the SCO moot during his visit to India.

“Our participation in the meeting reflects Pakistan’s commitment to the SCO charter and processes and the importance that Pakistan accords to the region in its foreign policy priorities,” Baloch said in a weekly press briefing.

She recalled that Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had last year in July also attended the session of the Council of Foreign Ministers in Tashkent.​

The foreign minister attending the moot on the invitation of the current chairman of SCO CFM Dr S Jaishankar, India’s Minister for External Affairs.