India's airspace blockade delays Pakistan's aid for suffering Sri Lankans

• Cyclone Ditwah leaves Sri Lanka devastated.
• Over 355 dead, hundreds still missing.
• Pakistan relief flights delayed by India.

Pakistan’s humanitarian mission to assist cyclone-hit Sri Lanka has been delayed after India refused to allow the use of its airspace for the delivery of aid, creating an unexpected obstacle for the relief effort.

According to Geo News, a 45-member Urban Search and Rescue team of the Pakistan Army — prepared for deployment through a C-130 aircraft with the support of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Pakistan Air Force — was ready to depart for Sri Lanka.

However, the mission could not proceed after India declined airspace permission for what Pakistan termed a purely humanitarian operation.

Efforts to send 100 tonnes of aid through commercial cargo aircraft have also stalled, as these flights too require passage through Indian airspace.

With New Delhi’s refusal, the dispatch of relief goods has slowed significantly, forcing Pakistan to send the supplies via sea — a route that will take approximately eight days to reach Sri Lanka.

Former ambassador Asif Durrani criticised India’s decision, calling it an example of "petty behaviour". He, while speaking to Geo News, recalled that New Delhi had taken similar steps during past humanitarian efforts, including when Pakistan attempted to send aid to Nepal.

Durrani noted that Pakistan, in contrast, had permitted India to transport wheat to Afghanistan via the land route when New Delhi’s preferred option through Iran became costly.

"What more can we, unfortunately, call it?" Durrani remarked, saying the latest move once again reflects India’s narrow approach even in matters of human suffering.

Cyclone Ditwah, which struck Sri Lanka on Friday, has caused the country’s worst flooding in a decade, leaving at least 355 people dead and 366 missing.

Officials say more than half a million people have been affected, with landslides reported across the hilly central region. Rescue teams are scrambling to clear roads and deliver aid, while many areas remain flooded.

Weather authorities reported that the storm is moving northwards and weakening. Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake described the disaster as the “largest and most challenging” in the country’s history.