Gilgit, Skardu flights cancelled as Pakistan steps up air monitoring

Tariq Butt, Correspondent / IANS

Pakistan on Wednesday announced cancellation of all domestic flights to Gilgit and Skardu amid escalating tensions with India after last week's Pahalgam attack in which 26 civilians lost their lives.

"The decision to suspend the flights to the northern regions was made after a review of national airspace safety protocols. All other flights to the northern areas of Pakistan have also been temporarily halted as a precautionary measure," said an official.

A strict monitoring of foreign flights has also been initiated with major focus on international airlines crossing over from India. As per details, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has been instructed to scrutinise all inbound foreign aircraft.

Also during the day, Indian fighter jets patrolling above Jammu and Kashmir were forced to go away after the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) scrambled its jets, state-run media reported.

This added to tensions between the two countries in the wake of the Pahalgam attack.

Quoting security sources, the Pakistan Television (PTV) and Radio Pakistan said that four Rafale fighter jets of the Indian Air Force (IAF) were spotted conducting "patrolling overnight" in Kashmir without crossing the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir.

"PAF jets promptly detected the presence of these Indian warplanes," Radio Pakistan said. "As a result of PAF's diligent action, the Indian Rafale jets panicked and were forced to flee," PTV reported. The security sources reaffirmed that the armed forces were "fully prepared and vigilant to give a befitting response to any aggression from India."

The development comes after Information Minister Attaullah Tarar earlier said "credible intelligence" reports indicated that India was planning to conduct a military action against Pakistan in the "next 24 to 36 hours."

After the high-level meeting of the Pakistan's National Security Committee (NSC), it was decided to give a reciprocal response to India's decisions to shut down the Wagah-Attari border, declare defence and security advisors at Pakistan High Commission as Persona Non Grata, cancelling visas for Pakistani nationals under SAARC, and putting the IWT in abeyance, etc.

Pakistan has already shut down its airspace for Indian airlines in response to New Delhi's measures, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), following the terror attack in Kashmir.

In this regard, a Notice for Airmen (NOTAMN) was issued, banning Indian carriers from the Pakistan skies, initially for one month. Indian airlines including Air India, IndiGO, and Akasa Air are among the carriers banned from using the Pakistani airspace. The restrictions are also applicable to Indian military and VIP aircraft movement.