Sri Lanka floods: India rushes relief; rejects Pak claims of airspace denial for aid aircraft
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: India, which rushed rescue and relief aid to cyclone-hit Sri Lanka over the last couple of days, has rejected Pakistan’s baseless claims that New Delhi denied airspace to Islamabad’s aircraft carrying relief material to Colombo, the media reported on Tuesday.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has deployed two C-130J transport aircraft as part of India’s humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka under Operation Sagar Bandhu, and positioned Mi-17 V5 helicopters in Colombo for swift relief operations, officials said.
The IAF also stepped up its efforts to assist the island nation in the wake of Cyclone Ditwah, which has left a trail of destruction.
The IAF aircraft, carrying equipment for a National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) team, landed in Colombo on Sunday. This transport aircraft will also be used to bring back Indian citizens stranded in that country.
The IAF’s transport aircraft are earmarked for “large-scale evacuation” of Indian nationals, with “multiple missions” planned from Trivandrum in Kerala and Hindan in Uttar Pradesh, the post said.
“Alongside evacuation, essential relief material, including Bhishm cubes and medical supplies, is also being airlifted to support affected communities. The IAF remains steadfast in safeguarding lives and extending timely assistance to our neighbours in need,” it added.
On Saturday last, two transport aircraft of the IAF – C-130J and IL-76 – delivered nearly 21 tonnes of relief material in Colombo. These two aircraft were deployed from the Hindan air force base in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.
The IL-76 aircraft, carrying nine tonnes of relief material, 80 NDRF personnel, four canines, eight tonnes of NDRF HADR (humanitarian assistance and disaster relief) equipment, had landed in Colombo on Saturday morning.
Also, INS Sukanya, carrying more humanitarian aid, had left Visakhapatnam for Sri Lanka soon.
Besides, two Chetak helicopters from the Indian Navy’s aircraft carrier INS Vikrant were participating in the search and rescue operations with Sri Lanka Air Force personnel on board.
Pakistan’s claims
Meanwhile, New Delhi rejected Pakistan’s claim of airspace denial. It said India’s decisions on airspace permissions are governed by standard operational, technical, and security assessments, not political considerations.
On Monday, India expeditiously heeded to Pakistan’s request to use Indian airspace to send humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka.
India also described as “fake” reports in the Pakistani media that New Delhi has not granted overflight facility to Pakistan to send aid to Sri Lanka.
The official request for overflight was submitted by Pakistan at around 1300 hours (Indian time) on Monday seeking permission to fly over Indian airspace.
Given the fact that the request pertained to humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka, India expeditiously cleared the request and intimated the same to Pakistan at 1730 hours (Indian time) on Monday through official channels.
It was processed at the shortest notice period of four hours.
This gesture from India, despite Pakistan having banned its airspace for India’s airlines, was considered purely on humanitarian grounds, the reports said.
“Pakistani media, as usual, is indulging in propaganda and peddling fake news. These allegations are baseless and misleading. All requests for overflight or transit are processed strictly in accordance with established procedures and international norms.”
Reports in the Pakistani media are both inaccurate and irresponsible.
Since last week, Sri Lanka has been reeling under massive floods caused by a powerful cyclone. Over 390 people were killed due to the floods, and thousands were relocated to relief camps.
