President Kovind denied permission to enter Pakistan airspace

Pakistan refuses to grant permission to the Indian President Ram Nath Kovind to enter its airspace.

Pakistan has refused a request by India to allow President Ram Nath Kovind to use its airspace for his flight to Iceland, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Saturday. The decision was approved by Prime Minister Imran Khan in view of the tense situation in Kashmir, the minister told state broadcaster PTV.

Kovind will embark on a visit to Iceland, Switzerland, and Slovenia from Monday during which he is expected to brief the top leadership in those countries on India's "national concerns", especially in view of terror incidents this year, including the Pulwama attack. 

Pakistan has denied Indian President Ram Nath Kovind the permission to enter airspace, says Pak Foreign Minister SM Qureshi: AFP news agency (file pic) pic.twitter.com/jVWIso9T0j

— ANI (@ANI) September 7, 2019

Pakistan fully closed its airspace on February 26 after the Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jets struck a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist training camp in Balakot following the Pulwama terror attack in Kashmir in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. However, in March, it partially opened its airspace but kept its ban for the Indian flights.