The government of Pakistan refused to let Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi use the country's airspace while flying to Germany, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Wednesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th September, 2019) The government of Pakistan refused to let Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi use the country's airspace while flying to Germany, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Wednesday.India has previously requested permission to use Pakistan's airspace for Modi's flight to Germany.
"Keeping in view the situation in occupied Kashmir and India's attitude witnessed in the tyranny and oppression and the violations of rights in the region, we have decided not to grant this request," Qureshi said, as quoted by the Dawn newspaper.
Pakistan previously denied the use of its airspace to Indian President Ram Nath Kovind. Islamabad is also considering the complete closure of the Pakistani skies for air traffic with India.
India and Pakistan have contended for the Kashmir region the southern part of which lies in India's Jammu and Kashmir state since the end of British rule in 1947. Despite a ceasefire reached in 2003 after several armed conflicts, instability in the region continued, leading to the emergence of various extremist groups.
Tensions increased earlier in August when Kovind signed a decree revoking Article 370 of the Indian constitution, which used to ensure the special status of the Jammu and Kashmir state. Under the government's new initiative, Jammu and Kashmir will be divided into two union territories that will be under New Delhi's control.
Pakistan reacted angrily to India downgrading the Muslim-majority region to a territory and promised to protect Kashmiris. It expelled the Indian ambassador, halted bilateral trade and promised to raise the issue with the International Court of Justice.
