India closes airspace to Pakistan airlines

NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD — India shut its airspace to Pakistani airlines on Wednesday, the government said, as tensions rose following the recent killing of 26 men in an attack on tourists in India-controlled Kashmir.

The ban will last from Wednesday to May 23, the Indian government said in a notice.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call on Wednesday evening that he "categorically rejected Indian attempts to link Pakistan to the incident", Sharif's office said in a statement.

He called for a transparent, credible and neutral investigation and urged the US to impress upon India to "dial down the rhetoric and act responsibly", it added.

India's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Rubio spoke separately with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Sharif while expressing support for India in combating extremism and urging Pakistan to cooperate in probing the attack, the State Department said after Rubio's calls.

He urged the neighbors to work with each other "to de-escalate tensions, reestablish direct communications, and maintain peace".Washington urged other countries to help reduce tensions while asking India and Pakistan to work on a "responsible solution".

The impact of the ban on Pakistan's airline industry is likely to be smaller than on India's since only Pakistan International Airlines, the national carrier, operates routes to Kuala Lumpur using Indian airspace.

Last week, Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian-owned or operated airlines, suspending all trade, including through third countries, and halting special South Asian visas issued to Indian nationals. Pakistan International Airlines said on Tuesday it had decided to avoid Indian airspace in the wake of rising bilateral tensions.

Pakistan said on Wednesday it has "credible intelligence" that India intends to launch military action soon, as tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors escalate following the deadly attack on tourists.

Since the attack, the nations have unleashed a raft of measures against each other, including suspending the Indus Water Treaty.

Agencies Via Xinhua