Spooked over US’s agreement that Kashmir is a bilateral issue, Pakistan Prime Minister, who has declared himself as an ambassador’ of Kashmir in front of the world, is considering closing all of its airspace for India, blocking all air routes for Indian flights.
Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry said that prime minister Imran Khan is contemplating the stoppage of routes to impede Indian trade.
“PM [Imran Khan] is considering a complete closure of air space to India. A complete ban on the use of Pakistan’s land routes for Indian trade to Afghanistan was also suggested in a cabinet meeting. The legal formalities for these decisions are under consideration…Modi has started we’ll finish!” Fawad Chaudhry wrote in a tweet.
Already strained relations between India and Pakistan worsened on Wednesday when Pakistan decided to downgrade diplomatic ties with India, recall its high commissioner from New Delhi, expel the Indian envoy to Islamabad and suspend bilateral trade.
Previously, there were reports that Pakistan had closed down a couple of routes for Indian flights following its decision to downgrade diplomatic ties with India in response to New Delhi’s move to revoke special status of Kashmir.
However, it later clarified that it has neither closed its airspace for India nor re-routed any route for the Indian flights.
Pakistan on July 16 opened its airspace for India after some five months of restrictions imposed in the wake of a standoff with New Delhi earlier this year.
Following the Balakot airstrikes, Pakistan had closed its airspace on February 26.
In March, Pakistan partially opened its airspace but kept it banned for the Indian flights. India also banned its airspace for flights to Pakistan.
Source: India Today
