The Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday dismissed Pakistan's claims about delays in overflight clearance for aircraft carrying relief material to Sri Lanka. The MEA said India acted quickly and followed all procedures clearly and transparently.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Pakistan’s statement was meant to mislead people and twist India’s actions. He said, "We reject the ridiculous statement made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, which is yet another attempt to spread anti-India misinformation."
Explaining the timeline, Jaiswal clarified that India received Pakistan’s request through the proper diplomatic channel well in time and replied within hours. He said, "The request for overflight clearance for Pakistani aircraft carrying humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka was received by the High Commission of India in Islamabad at around 1300 hrs on December 1, 2025."
Jaiswal stressed that India acted quickly because Sri Lanka urgently needed help. He added, "Given the urgency of humanitarian assistance, the Government of India processed the request expeditiously the same day and granted the overflight permission as per the itinerary proposed at 1730 hrs on December 1, 2025."
He reaffirmed that India has always supported Sri Lanka in times of distress, especially during natural disasters and relief operations. He said, "India remains committed to assisting the people of Sri Lanka in these challenging times through all available means."
Even after India shared details of the clearance given on Monday, Pakistan continued to blame New Delhi for creating obstacles. Pakistan’s Foreign Office posted on X that "India continues to block humanitarian support from Pakistan to Sri Lanka," and claimed that an aircraft had been waiting "for over 60 hours now" for clearance.
Pakistan also alleged that the clearance issued by India was not practical. It said, "The partial flight clearance issued by India last night, after 48 hours, was operationally impractical: time-bound for just a few hours and without validity for the return flight, severely hindering this urgent relief Mission for the brotherly people of Sri Lanka."
At the same time, Pakistan faced criticism online after its High Commission in Sri Lanka posted photos of the relief items sent. The mission wrote that " Relief packages from Pakistan have been successfully delivered to assist our brothers and sisters affected by the recent floods in Sri Lanka, which signifies our unwavering solidarity." Social media users pointed out that some supplies had expiry dates from October 2024.
Sri Lanka is still dealing with massive destruction caused by Cyclone Ditwah, including flooding, landslides, and damage to infrastructure. India has launched Operation Sagar Bandhu to provide relief, repair support, and emergency help in the affected areas.
According to Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Centre, at least 410 people have died and 336 are still missing as of Tuesday morning due to extreme weather events since November 16.
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