India proposes technical talks with Pakistan to open air link

The initiative on resuming civil aviation links is part of the two specific steps — apart from addressing broader themes like improving people-to-people contact and enhancing economic cooperation — announced by the PM in Parliament on May 2. The other being the appointment of high commissioners. Both countries have announced their respective high commissioners.

On resuming civil aviation links, the countries have not been able to get past their stated positions with Islamabad insisting that the issue of granting overflight facility to Indian carriers is a technical matter.

India, on the other hand, took the view that granting Indian civil aircraft the permission to overfly its airspace was a political decision which Islamabad ought to make before starting technical-level talks on resuming airlinks. Moreover, New Delhi had lifted its ban on overflights to Pakistan’s civil flights last year.

But with both countries being able to bridge the gap on appointing high commissioners and hold technical discussions to restart the Delhi-Lahore bus service, sources said, New Delhi is keen on taking forward the PM’s initiative on civil aviation links instead of being caught in a logjam over the issue.