Pakistan on Tuesday sent 200 tonnes of relief supplies to Sri Lanka via sea cargo after Indian authorities declined to allow the use of their airspace.
The aid is intended for communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah, which caused devastating floods and landslides across the island.
The disaster has claimed hundreds of lives and displaced millions, leading Sri Lanka to declare a state of emergency.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that a send-off ceremony was held in Islamabad, attended by Minister of State Bilal Azhar Kayani and Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Pakistan, Admiral Ravindra C. Wijegunaratne.
Earlier, the Foreign Office (FO) said that India was blocking Pakistan’s humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka.
In a statement, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said that the special aircraft carrying Pakistan’s humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka continue to face delay for over 60 hours now awaiting flight clearance from India.
The partial flight clearance issued by India last night, after 48 hours, was operationally impractical as it was time-bound for just a few hours and without validity for the return flight, thus severely hindering the urgent relief mission for the brotherly people of Sri Lanka.
Source: Dunya News