Restrictions on air space to continue till Indian elections, says Pak minister
Pakistan will review re-opening of its airspace for Indian flights on May 15 amid heightened Indo-Pak military tensions, a civil aviation official said Sunday, but a senior minister indicated that the status quo will remain till the elections are over in India.
Pakistan fully closed its airspace after an Indian Air Force strike on a terror camp in Balakot on February 26. However, Pakistan on March 27, opened its airspace for all flights except for New Delhi, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. “The Pakistani government will decide whether to lift or not its airspace ban for the Indian flights on May 15,” Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) spokesperson Mujtaba Baig told PTI on Sunday.
During the May 15 meeting, the officials and ministers of all ministries concerned will participate and a decision will be taken about lifting of ban or not on the Pakistani airspace ‘operational and overflying’ for India. “The decision will be notified any time on May 15,” Baig said.
However, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s close aide and federal science and technology minister Fawad Chaudhry doesn’t see any change in the status quo till conclusion of Lok Sabha polls.
“Status quo will remain till the elections are over in India. I don’t see any improvement in relations between Pakistan and India till the elections are over and a new government is installed. The ban on airspace by each other I think will also continue till Indian polls,” Chaudhry told PTI.