Former envoy lauds India's decision to allow Pak PM's aircraft to use its airspace

Former Indian Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Latvia and Sweden, Ashok Sajjanhar lauded the co-operation extended by India to permit Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's aircraft to use the Indian Air Space, on his trip to Sri Lanka on February 23. "Tense relations between the two nations must not in the way of opinions, views or co-operation," said Sajjanhar.

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It must be noted that a similar event took place in 2019 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's aircraft was denied landing on Pakistan's airspace, as his plane was en route to the US and Saudi Arabia. Pakistan had said so citing allegations against India over human rights violations in Kashmir. Sajjanhar referring to the event from 2019 appreciated India's move to let Imran Khan use the Indian airbase and said that "the misdoings of Pakistan can be overseen".

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"It is a good and positive decision that India has taken to permit Imran Khan's aircraft to overfly the airspace of India to visit Sri Lanka on February 23. India is a large country, India is a magnanimous country. It is a normal global international protocol to allow the aircraft of traveling heads of states, heads of governments to overfly this space. So I think it is very appropriate," the former Indian Ambassador explained.

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Usually, the aircraft of VVIPs from other nations are granted permission as a co-operative affair and India did abide by it when Pakistan's PM needed help. 

(With inputs from ANI)

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