India has taken up Pakistan’s denial of use of its airspace to the Prime Minister’s flight with the International Civil Aviation Organsisation(ICAO) ahead of Narendra Modi’s visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. India sought overflight clearance from Pakistan for the Prime Minister’s aircraft to go to Saudi Arabia on Monday, but Islamabad cited alleged human rights violations in Jammu & Kashmir to deny the request, said senior officials. 

Senior Indian officials said the Government of India is of the view Pakistan should reflect on its decision to deviate from well established international practice, as well as reconsider its old habit of misrepresenting the reasons for taking unilateral action. They added that India regrets Pakistan’s decision to yet again deny overflight clearance for the VVIP special flight, granted routinely by any normal country.

In September, Pakistan denied overflight clearance to the Prime Minister’s aircraft during his visit to the US. Then too, India had taken up the issue of denial of overflight clearance with the relevant international civil aviation body, they said. The ICAO is a specialised UN agency.  “Overflight clearances are sought, and granted by other countries as per prescribed ICAO guidelines,” said an

official. India will continue to seek such overflight clearances, he added.

On Sunday, Pakistan denied India’s request to allow Modi’s aircraft to move in its airspace for his visit to Saudi Arabia. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said in a statement that Pakistan has decided to not allow Prime Minister Modi to use the country’s airspace, State-run Radio Pakistan reported. He said the decision has been taken in context of the “black day” and in view of the alleged human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir, it added,

Soon after the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir, in September, Pakistan also denied overflight permission to President Ram Nath Kovind’s flight to Iceland.