Amid efforts by Pakistan and Bangladesh to strengthen bilateral ties, Islamabad has refused airspace clearance for a Russian flight carrying nuclear fuel for Bangladesh’s Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, delaying the shipment.
Bangladesh’s Minister for Science and Technology Faqir Mahbub Anam told news agency ANI, “We heard that a cargo plane carrying uranium for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Bangladesh was scheduled to arrive on September 24.
“With regard to the reports being quoted, the matter appears to relate to technical and procedural arrangements concerning flight routing and airspace permissions, which can occasionally require coordination among the relevant aviation and other authorities and may result in adjustments to flight schedules”, the High Commission said in a clarification. It added that Pakistan attaches “high importance” to its relations with Bangladesh and said the issue should be viewed in its “proper technical context”. He said a new date had been proposed, with Russia indicating that the uranium could arrive in Bangladesh in the first week of October. Sheikh Mohammed Tauhidul Islam, Joint Secretary to Bangladesh’s Science and Technology Ministry, said preparations at the airport had been completed before the shipment was delayed.
However, the flight was not given permission to use Pakistani airspace, so the uranium did not arrive in Bangladesh as planned. As of now, the exact reason for Pakistan not granting the airspace clearance is still unknown. The Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka said on Tuesday that requests for diplomatic flights and overflight clearances are processed within a standardised timeframe and in accordance with established regulatory guidelines and civil aviation protocols.
