(MENAFN- Afghanistan Times) In the wake of declining tension between Islamabad and New
Delhi, Pakistan announced reopening of its airspace for civilian flights, thus
enabling a number of regional countries and international airlines of resuming
its services after a period of around five months. Afghanistan has welcomed
Pakistan decision as almost its air services with India and other regional
countries were badly affected. Five months ago, tension between New Delhi and
Islamabad resulted war like situation when militant group Jaish-i-Muhammad
claimed responsibility for an attack on February 2019 that killed 40 Indian
paramilitary police in Indian controlled Kashmir. And in reaction the Indian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to respond and take revenge, where few days
after the attack India fighter jets crossed into Pakistani and bombed an area
what the foreign ministry in New Delhi termed it a 'non-military pre-emptive
action' against armed group Jaish-e-Mohammed. However, this has left Pakistan
with no other option but to impose airspace restriction, which negatively
affected hundreds of commercial and cargo flights in the region and inflicted
millions of US dollars loses to the region airline companies. Afghanistan Civil
Aviation Authority has welcomed Pakistan's decision regarding reopening of the
airspace, saying Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority will be committed to
cooperate with all region countries. On July 3, the Indian Civil Aviation
Minister Hardeep Singh Puri told his country's upper house of parliament that
the airspace closure had cost Indian airlines more than $ 80.1 m. The
hostilities between India and Pakistan has not only posing adverse impacts on
socio-economic sectors of both the neighboring countries but it also affects
other regional and neighboring countries. In the wake of an end to previous
so-called cold war, Afghanistan was emerged as an attractive destination for
the regional countries. At that time, politicians in both Afghanistan and
Pakistan attached great hopes in the wake of a new era based 'unbreakable'
relations between the two countries. Through Afghanistan, Pakistan was eyeing
on Central Asian even European trade markets whereas Afghanistan was hopeful of
further cementing its transit trade links via Pakistan with rest of the
countries. People from politico-trade circles of Pakistan were hopeful of
getting lion's share in the reconstruction of war-ravaged Afghanistan. But
unfortunately dreams regarding progress and prosperity smashed into pieces when
the so-called cold war was followed by another era of extremism and terrorism.
Now when almost of the world countries are voicing end to every sort of
enmities and hostilities, therefore, leadership in both the neighboring
countries must re-visit their policies towards each other. Only reopening of
ground and air spaces for each other, Afghanistan and Pakistan could get a
space in new era based on progress, prosperity and stability.
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