First time since IAF’s Balakot airstrike, Narendra Modi uses Pakistani airspace to travel to France for bilateral meet

New Delhi: For the first time after February’s Balakot airstrike, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday used the Pakistani airspace to travel to France for a bilateral meet. The airspace had been shut following the airstrikes by the Indian Air Force (IAF) on 26 February. IAF planes had destroyed terror camps in Pakistan’s Balakot area, following the 14 February Pulwama terror attack which killed over 40 CRPF personnel in Jammu and Kashmir. [caption id=“attachment_7209261” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Prime Minister Narendra Modi departs on a three-nation visit to France, UAE and Bahrain on Thursday from New Delhi. ANI[/caption] The CRPF personnel lost their lives after their convoy was attacked by a JeM terrorist. India got a major diplomatic win after Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar was blacklisted by the UN Security Council (UNSC) on 1 May. During the first stop in his three-nation visit, Modi is slated to hold a bilateral meet with French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday evening. On 23 August, the leader will leave for a bilateral meet to the UAE on the second leg of his visit. He will hold a bilateral meeting with Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan apart from his other engagements. After this, on 24 August, Modi will visit the Kingdom of Bahrain, where he is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Prince Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa. He will also call upon the King of Bahrain Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and other leaders. The prime minister will again be in France from 25 to 26 August to participate in the G-7 Summit meetings at the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron.