Islamabad: India on Tuesday dismissed Pakistan’s accusation that New Delhi delayed airspace clearance for a relief aircraft headed to cyclone-hit Sri Lanka, calling the charge “ridiculous”. The disagreement comes at a time when Sri Lanka is reeling from catastrophic flooding and landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah.

What India says on the airspace clearance

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal rejected Islamabad’s allegations, stating they were “yet another attempt of spreading anti-India misinformation”.

According to him, the Indian high commission in Islamabad received the request for overflight clearance around 1 pm on Monday.

He said the application was “processed expeditiously the same day” and permission was granted “as per the itinerary proposed at 5:30 pm

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