Balakot Trauma Still Haunting Pakistan As Islamabad Further Extends Its Air Space Closure Till 28 June

Pakistan on Thursday (13 June) extended closure of its airspace along the eastern border with India till 28 June, reports Hindustan Times. This is third time Islamabad has extended the partial airspace ban.

“Pakistani airspace will be closed until June 28 along its eastern border with India. The Panjgoor airspace will remain open for overflying transit flights from the western side as Air India had already been using that airspace,” stated a notice issued to airmen (NOTAM) on Thursday (13 June) by Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA).

Earlier, on 26 February, Pakistan had fully closed its airspace after the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) jets struck a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) training camp in Balakot following the terror attack on Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama.

While the IAF lifted all the temporary restrictions over Indian airspace on 31 May, Pakistan has opened only two of its 11 air routes, both of them passing through southern Pakistan.

On 15 May, Islamabad had first extended the airspace ban along eastern border of India till 30 May. Then on 30 May, it prolonged the ban till 15 June. Now it has further extended the ban till 28 June.