India has strongly rejected claims circulating in Pakistani media alleging that New Delhi refused airspace clearance for Pakistan’s relief flight carrying aid to cyclone-hit Sri Lanka.

Indian officials confirmed that Pakistan submitted an overflight request around 1:00 p.m. (IST) on Monday, seeking same-day clearance. Given the humanitarian purpose, India processed the request on a priority basis, granting approval by 5:30 p.m. (IST)—within just four hours.

Officials described the clearance as a purely humanitarian gesture, issued despite Pakistan’s continuing ban on Indian airlines from using its airspace. They dismissed the Pakistani media reports as “baseless and misleading.”

Sri Lanka is currently grappling with severe flooding triggered by Cyclone Ditwah, which has claimed at least 334 lives, with rising waters affecting several parts of Colombo.

India has dispatched 53 tons of relief material to Sri Lanka under Operation Sagar Bandhu. This includes:

• 9.5 tons of emergency rations handed over in Colombo by two Indian Navy ships
  
• 31.5 tons of tents, tarpaulins, blankets, hygiene kits, medicines, surgical equipment, BHISHM medical cubes, and other supplies airlifted by three Indian Air Force aircraft
  
• 80-member NDRF Urban Search and Rescue team deployed for ongoing rescue operations
  
• An additional 12 tons of relief supplies delivered by INS Sukanya in Trincomalee
  

India’s rapid assistance comes as Sri Lanka continues to battle one of the worst flood disasters in recent years.