Pakistan dispatches humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka via sea as India denies airspace access
Pakistan
Pakistan on Tuesday dispatched 200 tonnes of relief supplies to Sri Lanka via sea cargo as Indian authorities refused to use its airspace
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Pakistan on Tuesday dispatched 200 tonnes of relief supplies to Sri Lanka via sea cargo as Indian authorities refused to use its airspace.
The supplies are destined for communities devastated by Cyclone Ditwah, which triggered catastrophic floods and landslides across Sri Lanka.
The disaster has left hundreds dead and displaced millions, prompting the island nation to declare a state of emergency.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a send-off ceremony was held in Islamabad, which was attended by Minister of State Bilal Azhar Kayani and Admiral Ravindra C Wijegunaratne, Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Pakistan.
dispatched 200 tons of humanitarian assistance to via sea cargo to support relief efforts following the devastating cyclone Ditwah.
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) December 2, 2025
A send off ceremony was held in Islamabad attended by H.E. Bilal Azhar Kayani, Minister of State for Finance and H.E. Rear Admiral (Rtd)…
The ministry issued a statement saying: “Pakistan stands in full solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka.”
Earlier, the Foreign Office (FO) said that India was blocking Pakistan’s humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka's cyclone death toll climbs to 355, with 366 missing
In a statement, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said that the special aircraft carrying Pakistan's humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka continue to face delay for over 60 hours now awaiting flight clearance from India.
The partial flight clearance issued by India last night, after 48 hours, was operationally impractical as it was time-bound for just a few hours and without validity for the return flight, thus severely hindering the urgent relief mission for the brotherly people of Sri Lanka.
