KARACHI, July 16, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Pakistan on Tuesday fully reopened its
airspace for all civilian traffic, ending months of restrictions affecting
major international routes including from India after clashes between the
nuclear-armed rivals brought them to the brink of war.
“With immediate effect Pakistan airspace is open for all type of civil
traffic,” the state-run Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said.
A CAA spokesman confirmed to AFP that the eastern airspace along the
border with India had been reopened.
Pakistan closed its airspace completely after aerial dogfights in February
ratcheted up tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi. It removed some
restrictions a month later but kept constraints in place along its eastern
border with India.
The closure disrupted Indian flights headed west, forced Pakistan
International Airlines to suspend some of its flights, and effectively closed
off major international routes in and out of Islamabad and Lahore, such as
the Thai Airways route from Islamabad to Bangkok.
The crisis between the countries was first sparked by a suicide bombing in
Indian-administered Kashmir in February that killed 40 security personnel and
was later claimed by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad.
Days later India responded with a cross-border air raid on Pakistan that
kicked off a quick succession of attacks and dogfights between the arch-
rivals over the disputed Kashmir frontier, spurring fears of all-out war.
Pakistani and Indian soldiers have continued to fire over the Line of
Control, the de facto border dividing Kashmir, killing several civilians on
both sides.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of
British colonial rule in 1947.
Both claim the Himalayan territory in full and have fought two wars over
it.