Pakistan refuses to give Indian president permission to use its airspace

Pakistan has turned down India's request to allow its president Ram Nath Kovind to use Pakistani airspace for his flight to Iceland.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Saturday that the decision has been taken after Prime Minister Imran Khan's approval. The foreign minister further said that the decision has been taken in view of India's continuing oppression of the Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) people, local media reported.

Tension has soared between the two countries after India stripped of the special status granted to IoK and abrogated Article 370 from its constitution. For over a month, a curfew has been imposed in the region as Indian violence to the people increase.

Already more than a 4,000 have been arrested in IoK and have been shifted to India as the capacity of the jails in occupied Kashmir has been filled. The region remains cut off from the rest of the world as Indian government has suspended land line and internet services.