Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Saudi Arabia to participate in an international business conference on October 29. India had sought permission from Pakistan to make its airspace available for the VVIP flight, which was denied by Islamabad. This is not the first time that Pakistan has denied permission for using its airspace to Modi, the same treatment was meted out earlier when he flew to the United States to attend the 74th UN General Assembly.
New Delhi has now taken the matter of Islamabad's move to deny permission to the Prime Minister's special flight to use its airspace, to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), sources in the government have said.
According to the sources, overflight clearances are sought and granted by other countries as prescribed by the ICAO guidelines.
"Overflight clearances are sought and granted by other countries as per the prescribed guidelines of the ICAO. India will continue to seek such overflight clearances. We have taken up the matter of such denial with the civil aviation body," said the sources.
"Pakistan should reflect upon its decision to deviate from well-established international practice, as well as reconsider its old habit of misrepresenting the reasons for taking unilateral action," added the sources.
The sources further said: "We regret the decision of the Government of Pakistan to yet again deny the overflight clearance for VVIP special flight, which is otherwise granted routinely by any normal country."
---With inputs from ANI
