New Delhi, Dec 3, 2025 — India on Tuesday rejected Pakistan’s allegation that it delayed overflight clearance for a Pakistani aircraft carrying humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka, calling the charge “ridiculous and false propaganda.”
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the Indian High Commission in Islamabad received the overflight request at 1300 hours on December 1 and, given the humanitarian urgency, the Government of India processed and approved it the same day by 1730 hours. Jaiswal said New Delhi acted quickly and transparently and accused Pakistan of trying to manufacture controversy, while reiterating India’s commitment to providing timely assistance to Sri Lanka.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had claimed that India “blocked humanitarian assistance,” alleging the Pakistani relief flight was delayed for more than 60 hours and that the clearance later issued was partial and operationally impractical.
Separately, images circulated on social media on Tuesday suggested some items in Pakistan’s relief consignment to cyclone-hit Sri Lanka bore an October 2024 expiry date. The widely shared photos on X showed yellow food packets marked with Pakistani and Sri Lankan flags; the authenticity of the images and the packaging details have not been independently verified.
