Pakistan FM Shah Mahmood Qureshi says decision of shutting down Karachi airspace will be taken after consultation with Imran Khan

Islamabad: Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that a decision on shutting down its airspace for India will be taken after due consideration and looking into every aspect of the move through consultation with Prime Minister Imran Khan. [caption id=“attachment_6139561” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Reuters[/caption] Qureshi’s response comes amid reports that Pakistan is planning to shut down its airspace for India. “A decision to this effect will be taken after due consideration and looking into each and every aspect of the move through consultation,” said Qureshi when asked whether the federal government has taken any decision in regard to shutting down the airspace for India. Qureshi added that Prime Minister Imran Khan will take the final decision, reported Dawn. He made these remark hours after Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issued a notice to airmen (NOTAM) that it is closing the three routes of Karachi airspace from 28 to 31 August. It did not cite any reason for its action. Days after India announced its decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate the state into two union territories, Islamabad objected the New Delhi’s action and announced that it is partially closing its airspace. Recently, Technology Minister Fawad Hussain Chaudhry had also indicated that the government is considering a complete closure of airspace for India. Pakistan had also shut down its airspace after India conducted Balakot strike on 26 February. Only in July after five-month of closure, Pakistan had fully opened its airspace for all flights.