A government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the Prime Minister’s flight to Saudi Arabia on Monday will take a detour to avoid Pakistan airspace

ICAO’s goal is to prevent friction and to promote cooperation among its 193 member nations in civil aviation matters

Agencies

NEW DELHI, October 28:

Indian has taken up Pakistan’s denial of airspace use to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s special flight with the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO), a United Nations aviation body, news agency ANI reported.

A government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Modi’s flight to Saudi Arabia on Monday will take a detour to avoid Pakistan airspace. The timing of the flight has not been not disclosed due to security reasons.

ICAO’s goal is to prevent friction and to promote cooperation among its 193 member nations in matters of civil aviation. An email sent to ICAO requesting comments and what course of action it may take remained unanswered at the time of publishing.

The development is indicative of the continued tension between the two Asian neighbours, after they had engaged in an aerial dogfight in February following a terror strike in Jammu & Kashmir that killed 40 paramilitary personnel. India’s recent decision to withdraw the special status granted to Jammu & Kashmir and to divide it into two territories to be ruled directly from Delhi has also irked Islamabad.

“Overflight clearances are sought and granted by other countries as per the prescribed guidelines of the ICAO. India will continue to seek such overflight clearances. We have taken up the matter of such denial with the civil aviation body,” ANI reported quoting sources.

Pakistan had on Sunday said it has denied India’s request to allow Prime Minister Modi’s flight to use its airspace for his visit to Saudi Arabia, citing alleged human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir, news agency PTI reported, quoting Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. The report also said such clearances are given routinely by any normal country.

Pakistan had closed its airspace after February’s border tension and eventually opened it up in phases. Effective 16 July, it had opened up its airspace fully for civilian aircraft