By Admin 
Floods and landslides caused by Cyclone Ditva in Sri Lanka have killed 132 people, 176 people are missing and 78 thousand have been displaced. Meanwhile, Pakistan sent humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka, which has become a cause of international controversy. The food items and medicines sent by Pakistan to help the people of Sri Lanka have expiry date 2024 written on them.
Sri Lankan officials said that Pakistan had sent medicines, food packets and some essential items for the flood victims, many of which had expired. Sri Lanka’s disaster management and foreign affairs departments have called it a matter of grave concern and have sought a formal explanation from Pakistan.
Cyclone Ditva wreaked havoc in Sri Lanka on November 28, in which 132 people died, 176 people went missing and 78 thousand people were displaced. Amidst this disaster, Pakistan, claiming brotherhood, announced immediate assistance and on 29 November, a Pakistani Navy ship reached Colombo port carrying several tons of relief material. This includes food packets, medicines, first aid kit, dry ration, tents and other essential items.
On November 30, the Embassy of Pakistan in Sri Lanka posted a post and wrote, ‘Relief packages from Pakistan were successfully delivered to the flood affected brothers and sisters of Sri Lanka. This is a symbol of our unbreakable unity. Pakistan always stands with Sri Lanka. When Sri Lankan officials examined the goods, many packets were found to have an expiry date of 2024. Medical supplies and food items were found spoiled. After the matter came to light, the Pakistan Embassy deleted the post.
Sri Lanka’s disaster management and foreign affairs departments have expressed serious concern over this. Officials have expressed their displeasure with Islamabad both formally and informally. Officials say that when the country is going through such a dire situation, this incident has raised doubts on Pakistan’s honesty and capability in sending relief material.
On the other hand, India has allowed Pakistan to use Indian airspace to send relief material to Sri Lanka. This is an important development between the two countries after Operation Sindoor. However, earlier Pakistani media had claimed that New Delhi had refused to allow Pakistani aircraft to enter its airspace, while Indian officials said that Pakistan’s request had been processed within a few hours.
According to officials, on the same day at around 1 pm on December 1, Pakistan had given a formal request to fly in Indian airspace and after four hours it was given clearance. He said that it was processed with a minimum notice period of 4 hours.