ISLAMABAD: India government has shut its airspace to Pakistani airlines days after the killing of 26 men in an attack on tourists in Kashmir.
The ban will last from April 30 to May 23, the Indian government said in a notice.
Earlier, Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian-owned or operated airlines, suspending all trade including through third countries and halting special South Asian visas issued to Indian nationals.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call on that he "categorically rejected Indian attempts to link Pakistan to the incident," Sharif's office said in a statement.
He called for a transparent, credible and neutral investigation and urged the U.S. to impress upon India to "dial down the rhetoric and act responsibly," it added.
India's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The impact of the ban on Pakistan's airline industry is likely to be smaller than on India's since only Pakistan International Airlines operates routes to Kuala Lumpur using Indian airspace.
It should be noted that India had previously suspended the Indus Waters Treaty.
