India closes its airspace to Pakistani airlines

Tensions between the two countries are rising daily after India announced that Pakistani elements were involved in an armed terrorist attack in the Pahalgam region of Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, which resulted in the deaths of 26 vacationers.

India issued a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) announcing that it has closed its airspace to Pakistani airlines between April 30 and May 23.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Tensions between the two countries had escalated after India announced that Pakistani elements were involved in an armed terrorist attack in the Pahalgam region of Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, which resulted in the deaths of 26 vacationers. The Pakistan-based group known as the "The Resistance Front (TRF)" claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Pakistani administration denied any role in the attack and called for an impartial investigation. Following the rise in tensions, the two neighboring countries took diplomatic steps against each other. Visas were mutually canceled, and limits were placed on the number of diplomats.

Pakistan had also closed its airspace to Indian airlines. India, meanwhile, suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, which regulates the sharing of water from the Indus River and its tributaries between the two countries.

While this decision led to protests in Pakistan, the Pakistani government announced that it was preparing to initiate legal action against India's decision, emphasizing that it would consider any impact on water flow in the region a "casus belli" (cause for war).

Furthermore, clashes occurred between the armies of the two countries along the Line of Control (LoC), the 740-kilometer de facto border separating the Indian and Pakistani-controlled regions of Kashmir. The U.S. Department of State called on both countries yesterday to work toward a "responsible solution." United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, underscoring the need to "avoid a conflict that could lead to tragic consequences."

News Source: İHA