Islamabad | Pakistan is considering a complete closure of its air space to India, a couple of weeks after it announced the closure of one corridor forcing international flights to take a longer route.
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.
PM is considering a complete closure of Air Space to India, a complete ban on use of Pakistan Land routes for Indian trade to Afghanistan was also suggested in cabinet meeting,legal formalities for these decisions are under consideration… #Modi has started we ll finish!
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) August 27, 2019
Earlier in February, Pakistan had closed its airspace for three months after Indian Air Force struck Jaish-e-Mohammaed hideout in Balakot on February 26.
The decision to close the airspace comes after widespread criticism and questions were being raised by Pakistanis on the government for allowing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to use Pakistani airspace on August 22 during a state visit to France, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
Modi’s flight callsign Air India One (A1-I) crossed over from Pakistani airspace while en route from New Delhi to France.
Closure of airspace will result in an additional cost to Indian flights while land route closure from India to Afghanistan may cause more effects on Afghanistan.
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