Pahalgam: India mulls new punitive measure, may shut airspace for Pakistan to escalate cost of backing terror

India is considering shutting its airspace to Pakistani airlines in a tit-for-tat move after Islamabad turned its own airspace into a no-fly zone for New Delhi.

Both India and Pakistan have been taking punitive measures against each other following the terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people. The latest development comes as a response to Pakistan’s continued fire action along the border, according to a report by the Economic Times.

The Indian government is also planning to close its ports to Pakistani ships, the news outlet quoted sources as saying.

How would it affect Pak flights?

A no-fly zone through India would force Pakistani carriers to reroute their planes over China or Sri Lanka to reach Southeast Asian destinations like Kuala Lumpur.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), which is state-owned, relies on Indian airspace to reach various Southeast Asian destinations such as Kuala Lumpur, other Malaysian cities, Singapore, and Thailand. If India were to close its airspace, the airline could be significantly affected, as its flights would be forced to take longer, more circuitous routes.

Pak Def Min says Indian attack ‘imminent’

Pakistan’s defence minister said on Monday that a military incursion by neighbouring India was imminent in the aftermath of the terror attack.

“We have reinforced our forces because it is something which is imminent now. So in that situation, some strategic decisions have to be taken, so those decisions have been taken,” Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told Reuters in an interview at his office in Islamabad.

Asif said India’s rhetoric was ramping up and that Pakistan’s military had briefed the government on the possibility of an Indian attack. He did not go into further details on his reasons for thinking an incursion was imminent.

Pakistan was on high alert but would only use its nuclear weapons if “there is a direct threat to our existence,” said Asif, a veteran politician and outspoken member of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party, which has historically pursued peace talks with India.

With inputs from agencies