As per sources, the clearance for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flight to pass through Pakistan airspace to reach Kyrgyzstan is expected to come soon.
India had requested Pakistan to let Prime Minister Modi’s aircraft fly over its airspace to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Kyrgyzstan.
Pakistan had fully shut its airspace on the eastern border with India after an Indian Air Force (IAF) carried out aerial airstrikes on a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp in Balakot on February 26. It has only opened two of eleven routes now, both of them pass through southern Pakistan.
The nod by Pakistan comes days after, it was reported that Prime Minister Imran Khan had written a letter to his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, saying Islamabad wants dialogue with New Delhi to resolve all outstanding issues between the two countries.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pak PM Imran Khan will be sharing the same meeting room at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan this week.
No formal meeting scheduled between the two Prime Ministers as of now.
After the Lok Sabha elections got over and Prime Minister Narendra Modi stormed back to power, Islamabad was hoping that there could be scope for the revival of talks between the two nations.
Imran Khan had called Prime Minister Modi to congratulate him on his victory and expressed willingness to work together for peace in South Asia.
Pakistan lies in the middle of a vital aviation corridor whereby the airspace restrictions, which have been continuing since a long time, impacts hundreds of commercial flights each day, extending flight timings for passengers, as well as fuel costs for airlines.
On May 29, Pakistan had extended the ban on India using its airspace for commercial flights till June 14.
(with inputs for ANI)