India on Monday considered Pakistan’s request to use Indian airspace to send humanitarian aid to cyclone-hit Sri Lanka. Officials termed as fake the reports in Pakistani media that India did not allow Pakistan to fly over its airspace to send humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka.
He said that Pakistan had made an official request on Monday at around 1 pm (Indian time) seeking permission to fly over Indian airspace.
Approval to send humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka
According to officials, since the request was to send humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka, India quickly approved it and informed Pakistan through official channels at 5:30 pm (Indian time) on Monday. He told that action was taken on this in a very short notice period of only four hours.
India took steps on humanitarian grounds
According to officials, despite Pakistan imposing a ban on the use of its airspace for Indian airlines, India took this step purely on humanitarian grounds. An official said that Pakistani media, as usual, is engaged in spreading propaganda and fake news. These allegations are baseless and misleading. All requests for passage through airspace are processed strictly in accordance with established procedures and international norms.
Sri Lanka is struggling with severe floods
Officials said India’s decisions on permission to use airspace are driven by standard operational, technical and security assessments, and not by political considerations. He said that the news broadcast in Pakistani media is wrong and irresponsible. Sri Lanka is struggling with severe floods caused by the cyclone. More than 390 people have died due to floods and landslides.
53 tons of relief material sent to Sri Lanka
Let us tell you that India has sent 53 tonnes of relief material to Sri Lanka under Operation Sagar Bandhu to deal with Cyclone Ditva. According to the information, India has handed over 9.5 tonnes of emergency ration from two Indian Navy ships in Colombo.
Three Indian Air Force aircraft have been deployed to airlift 31.5 tonnes of relief material including tents, tarpaulins, blankets, hygiene kits, ready-to-eat foods, medicines and surgical equipment, two Bhishma Cubes with a five-person medical team for on-site training and 80-person Special Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to assist in rescue efforts. In addition, New Delhi has sent an additional 12 tonnes of relief material on Indian Naval Ship Sukanya (in Trincomalee), taking the total relief material to 53 tonnes.
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