Islamabad July 08: Even as India awaited a response to its offer of restoration of airlink, Pakistan has sought an agreement with New Delhi to prevent any unilateral banning of over-flights in future by either country. Pakistan has suggested a meeting of civil aviation officials of the two countries to ensure that one party would not be able to withdraw over-flight rights of other country, Pakistan foreign office spokesman Masood Khan told reporters here yesterday as the two countries geared up to resume the Delhi-Lahore bus service from July 11.

The spokesman said Pakistan had offered to restore only the flight connections between the two countries and not the over-flights. A forthnight after extending a hand of friendship to Pakistan, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on May 2 last announced the restoration of civil-aviation link between the two countries. However, Pakistan is yet to reciprocate.

Khan said that Pakistan premier Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali's offer of restoration of airlink in response to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's hand of friendship was only confined to restoration of flight connections between the two countries.
"Over-flights have different dimension. India since January 2002 suspended over-flights for Pakistan and we have to react," he said.

Bureau Report