India rejects Pakistan's 'ridiculous' claim of delaying overflight clearance for aid flights to Sri Lanka
India rejects Pakistan's 'ridiculous' claim of delaying overflight clearance for aid flights to Sri Lanka
India had granted rapid clearance for Pakistan's humanitarian aid flight carrying relief material to flood-affected Sri Lanka.
India on Tuesday hit out at Pakistan for claiming that New Delhi denied overflight clearance to a Pakistani aircraft carrying humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka, calling the Islamabad claim 'ridiculous' and yet another attempt to 'spread anti-India misinformation.'
It is pertinent to mention that India granted rapid clearance for Pakistan's humanitarian aid flight carrying relief material to flood-affected Sri Lanka at the shortest notice period of 4 hours.
'Ridiculous statement by Pakistan'
In response to media queries regarding a statement by Pakistan on overflight clearance, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: "We reject the ridiculous statement made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, which is yet another attempt of spreading anti-India misinformation," the MEA said.
The MEA further clarified that the request for overflight clearance of the Pakistani aircraft carrying humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka was received by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad at 1 pm on Monday (December 1).
Given the urgency of the humanitarian assistance, the Government of India processed the request expeditiously the same day," the MEA said, adding that the permission was granted "as per the itinerary proposed at 1730 hours on December 1, 2025."
Reaffirming India's consistent support to Colombo, Jaiswal highlighted that India has continued to stand with Sri Lanka during natural disasters and relief operations. He stated, "India remains committed to assisting the people of Sri Lanka in these challenging times through all available means."
Pakistan accused India of creating hurdles
Even as India detailed the prompt approval issued on Monday, Pakistan continued to accuse New Delhi of creating hurdles. The Pakistan Foreign Office claimed on X that "India continues to block humanitarian assistance from Pakistan to Sri Lanka," alleging that an aircraft had been waiting "for over 60 hours now" for airspace access.
"India continues to block humanitarian assistance from Pakistan to Sri Lanka. The special aircraft carrying Pakistan's humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka continues to face delays for over 60 hours now awaiting flight clearance from India," the Pakistan Foreign Office alleged.
At the same time, Islamabad faced separate criticism online after its High Commission in Sri Lanka shared photos of relief items that had been dispatched. The mission posted that "Relief packages from Pakistan have been successfully delivered to assist our brothers and sisters affected by the recent floods in Sri Lanka, which signifies our unwavering solidarity."
Social media users, however, pointed out visible expiry dates of October 2024 on some of the supplies.
Sri Lanka continues to suffer severe damage from Cyclone Ditwah, including flooding, landslides, and widespread infrastructure damage. India has launched Operation Sagar Bandhu to provide relief, restoration and emergency support across affected districts. According to Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Centre, at least 410 people have died and 336 remain missing as of Tuesday morning due to extreme weather incidents since November 16.
