Under the directive, aircraft operated by Indian airlines, including civilian and military are prohibited from entering Pakistani airspace until 5.19 am IST of August 24. The move is part of an ongoing airspace standoff between the two South Asian neighbours, rooted in escalating tensions following a deadly militant attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22, which left 27 people dead.
Soon after the deadly attack by Pakistan-based terrorist, India swiftly responded by closing its airspace to all Pakistani aircraft and destroyed terror camps in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK). That ban currently remains in place and is set to expire on July 24, unless extended further.
Pakistan imposed its own airspace ban on April 24, just two days after the attack, targeting Indian aircraft in a retaliatory measure. Since then, both countries have periodically renewed their respective bans, which has led to increased operational challenges for airlines, raising concerns over regional stability.
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Following the terror attack in Pahalgam, India attacked various Pakistan military assets across the country destroying many of them completely, which was followed by a war between the two neighbours. As India emerged stronger in the war, a ceasefire was declared between the countries.
Nonetheless, a cricket match under the World Championship of Legends was scheduled between the two countries, which has been has now been cancelled after Indian players, including Shikhar Dhawan, refused to be a part of it citing the dastardly terror attack.
The second edition of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) tournament, which is co-owned by Bollywood star Ajay Devgn, started on June 18 at Edgbaston here and was scheduled for an August 2 final.
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World Cup winner Yuvraj Singh is the captain of the India Champions, while the squad featured the likes of Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Suresh Raina, Robin Uthappa and Varun Aaron.
The WCL organisers shared a statement on their X account, detailing the decision of cancellation and said their intention while conducting the match was to recreate some “happy memories”.
“After hearing the news that the Pakistan hockey team will be coming to India this year and seeing the recent India vs Pakistan volleyball match along with a few other fixtures between the two nations in different sports, we thought of continuing with the India vs Pakistan match at WCL, just to create some happy memories for people around the globe.
“But maybe in the process, we ended up hurting the feelings of many and stirring emotions,” the WCL statement read, as it cancelled the match.
