Pakistan has described its refusal to allow airspace for the transportation of nuclear fuel meant for Bangladesh’s Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant as a technical issue.
However, the flight was not given permission to use Pakistani airspace, so the uranium did not arrive in Bangladesh as planned. So we couldn’t send it. “We heard that a cargo plane carrying uranium for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Bangladesh was scheduled to arrive on September 24.
“Pakistan maintains an unwavering commitment to international diplomatic norms and processes all requests for diplomatic flight and overflight clearances within a standardised, predictable timeframe, strictly in accordance with our established regulatory guidelines and civil aviation protocols,” the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka said in a clarification on Tuesday. “Pakistan attaches high importance to its relations with Bangladesh, and it would therefore be appropriate to view the matter in its proper technical context and not attach undue significance to reports or narratives that may seek to misplace it to undermine our bilateral relations,” the Pakistan High Commission said. As of now, the exact reason for Pakistan not granting the airspace clearance is still unknown”, Faqir Mahbub Anam, Bangladesh’s Minister for Science and Technology, told ANI over the phone. “We had completed all the preparations at the airport and were waiting, but the liaison officer from Rosatom told us that the airspace was not clear. It may need to be rescheduled”, Sheikh Mohammed Tauhidul Islam, Joint Secretary to the Bangladesh Science and Technology Ministry, told ANI over the phone.
