Pakistan may shut air-space to India again

KABUL may once again close its air-space to India after bilateral tensions between the two nuclear-neighbors increased over Kashmir.

Pakistan Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry said that Prime Minister Imran Khan was considering a complete closure of air-space to India blocking Indian land trade to Afghanistan via Pakistan.

Islamabad reopened its airspace in mid-July following a nearly four-month closure imposed in February after an attack by a Pakistan-based militant group in Indian-controlled Kashmir led to clashes between the nuclear-armed neighbors.

Bilateral tensions bubbled over again this month when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi government revoked Kashmir’s special status, under which people from the rest of India could not buy property or compete for government jobs.

In a move to ease restrictions on Kashmir’s civilian population, the Jammu and Kashmir government said on Tuesday it was reopening high schools from Wednesday in some areas.

Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority had suffered $130 million losses in the previous closure of Pakistan air-space.

Sa