Pakistan considering closing airspace for India

Pakistan on Thursday said it is considering shutting down its airspace for India as one of the options.

At the weekly press briefing, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said that the issue had been discussed at the highest level, reported Dawn.

"It is one of the many options that are being considered. We can exercise it at a time of our choosing. No decision has been taken as yet," he said.

This comes a day after Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that a decision on shutting down its airspace for India will be taken after due consideration and looking into every aspect of the move through consultation with Prime Minister Imran Khan.

"A decision to this effect will be taken after due consideration and looking into each and every aspect of the move through consultation," said Qureshi when asked whether the federal government has taken any decision in regard to shutting down the airspace for India.

Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) yesterday issued a notice to airmen (NOTAM) that it is closing the three routes of Karachi airspace from August 28 to August 31. It did not cite any reason for its action.

Days after India announced its decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate the state into two union territories, Islamabad objected to New Delhi's action and announced that it is partially closing its airspace.

Recently, Technology Minister Fawad Hussain Choudhry had also indicated that the government is considering a complete closure of airspace for India.

Pakistan had also shut down its airspace after India conducted Balakot strike on February 26. Only in July after five-month of closure, Pakistan had fully opened its airspace for all flights.