A room with rations and other supplies that were stored after landslides caused by heavy rainfall following Cyclone Ditwah in Kandy, Sri Lanka.(L), Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal
Credit: Reuters, PTI Photos
New Delhi: The humanitarian aid to cyclone-ravaged Sri Lanka triggered a new row between India and Pakistan.
New Delhi on Tuesday dismissed Islamabad’s allegation that India blocked humanitarian assistance from Pakistan to Sri Lanka.
Islamabad alleged that New Delhi had delayed granting Pakistan’s special aircraft clearance to fly through the airspace of India to deliver humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka.
“The special aircraft carrying Pakistan’s humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka continues to face a delay of over 60 hours now, awaiting flight clearance from India,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the government of the western neighbouring nation posted on X on Tuesday.
“The partial flight clearance issued by India last night, after 48 hours, was operationally impractical: time-bound for just a few hours and without validity for the return flight, severely hindering this urgent relief mission for the brotherly people of Sri Lanka,” alleged the government of Pakistan.
New Delhi rejected Islamabad’s allegation, calling it “ridiculous” and yet another attempt to spread misinformation against India.
“The request for overflight clearance for Pakistani aircraft carrying humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka was received by the High Commission of India in Islamabad at around 1300 hrs on December 1, 2025,” Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India, said in New Delhi.
“Given the urgency of humanitarian assistance, the Government of India processed the request expeditiously the same day and granted the overflight permission as per the itinerary proposed at 1730 hrs on December 1, 2025,” clarified the MEA spokesperson, adding: “India remains committed to assisting the people of Sri Lanka in these challenging times through all available means.”
The Cyclone Ditwa made landfall on Sri Lanka’s eastern coast on November 28, affecting more than 1.4 million people from over 407,594 families across all 25 districts. The cyclone caused 410 confirmed deaths, while 336 people remain missing, according to the World Health Organisation.
India launched Operation Sagar Bandhu on November 28 to provide urgent Search and Rescue, as well as Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief support, to Sri Lanka.
In coordination with the Sri Lankan authorities, the Government of India immediately handed 9.5 tons of emergency rations from two Indian Navy Ships in Colombo; deployed three Indian Air Force aircrafts for airlifting another 31.5 tons of relief materials including tents, tarpaulins, blankets, hygiene kits, ready-to-eat food items, medicines and surgical equipment, two BHISHM cubes along with 5 persons medical team for on-site training, and 80 persons special Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to assist in rescue efforts; and despatched another 12 tons of relief supplies on-board Indian Navy Ship Sukanya, the Ministry of External Affairs stated, adding: “A total of 53 tons of relief material has been handed over.”
The Chetak helicopters from INS Vikrant and MI-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force conducted extensive rescue operations, airlifting stranded people, including pregnant women, infants, and those critically injured. Rescued persons included nationals of Sri Lanka, India, Germany, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Poland, Belarus, Iran, Australia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. NDRF teams continue to carry out search-and-rescue operations in various severely affected and isolated regions of Sri Lanka, assisting flood-hit families and ensuring their immediate safety. Over 150 persons have been rescued and assisted in these combined operations, which are continuing, the MEA added.
The MEA stated that the evacuation of Indian nationals stranded due to Cyclone Ditwah had also been undertaken via special Indian Air Force flights as well as commercial flights, with over 2000 stranded Indians already brought back.