Pakistan Alleges India Deliberately Delayed Airspace Clearance for Relief Aircraft, India rejects allegation

03-Dec-2025

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Pakistani media reported that a Pakistani Foreign Ministry official stated that a special humanitarian relief flight to Sri Lanka was delayed for over 60 hours because India had not granted airspace permission.

In response, the Pakistani High Commission in Colombo released a statement saying their Air Force’s C-130 aircraft carrying a fully equipped search and rescue team, mobile field hospitals, and nearly 200 tonnes of essential items had been grounded for more than two days at the Nur Khan Air Base in Islamabad due to India’s delay in granting permission.

India’s Foreign Ministry Rejects Pakistan’s Allegations 

 

We reject the absurd statement issued by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is yet another attempt to spread misinformation against India, said India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

In a statement issued by MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal responding to media questions regarding Pakistan’s claim about humanitarian flight clearance, he said:

We reject the absurd statement issued by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is another attempt to spread misinformation against India.

The request for airspace clearance for the Pakistani humanitarian flight to Sri Lanka was received at around 1 PM on December 1 at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.

Considering the urgency of humanitarian assistance, the Government of India swiftly granted clearance the same day, at 5.30 PM on December 1, according to the proposed flight plan. India remains committed to helping the people of Sri Lanka through all possible means during these challenging times.