India granted expedited permission for a Pakistan flight carrying humanitarian supplies to cyclone-hit Sri Lanka, contradicting Pakistani media reports that New Delhi had refused overflight rights. Officials said Pakistan filed the overflight request at about 1300 IST on Monday for same-day passage. Given the relief mission, India processed the request rapidly and notified Pakistan of approval at 1730 IST the same day, meeting the four-hour notice window.
Authorities stressed the clearance was purely humanitarian and was provided despite Pakistan still barring Indian carriers from using Pakistani airspace. Indian officials described the reports of a denial as unfounded and misleading.
Sri Lanka is coping with severe flooding after Cyclone Ditwah, which has killed at least 334 people while floodwaters remain high in parts of Colombo. India has been sending emergency assistance under Operation Sagar Bandhu, delivering a total of 53 tonnes of relief material.
The assistance included 9.5 tonnes of emergency rations delivered by two Indian Navy vessels in Colombo and three Indian Air Force sorties that airlifted 31.5 tonnes of supplies — tents, tarpaulins, blankets, hygiene kits, ready-to-eat meals, medicines and surgical equipment. Two BHISHM cubes and a five-member medical team were sent for on-site training, and an 80-person Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) contingent from the National Disaster Response Force was deployed. An additional 12 tonnes of supplies were dispatched aboard Indian Navy Ship Sukanya at Trincomalee, bringing the combined total to 53 tonnes.
The rapid clearance for the Pakistan flight and India’s broader relief effort underscore the humanitarian focus of regional disaster response despite ongoing diplomatic and airspace restrictions.
