Pakistan airspace to remain closed

Delhi: All international and domestic flights operations across Pakistan stand suspended on Thursday, said the country's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Quoting Pakistan's aviation agency, ARY News also reported that the flight operations would remain shut until further notice.

On Wednesday, flight operations across eight airports in India - Amritsar, Pathankot, Srinagar, Jammu, Shimla, Dharamshala, Kullu and Leh - were shut briefly. Operations later resumed in all the airports.

Meanwhile, Air Canada has temporarily suspended its flight services to India, after Pakistan's decision to shut its airspace.

These measures come in the wake of an India Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman being captured by the Pakistan army on Wednesday when the Pakistan Air Force violated the India air space.

Fighter jets from the India Air Force repulsed the morning raid launched by Pakistan i F-16 fighter jets which prevented damage on Indian troop positions or infrastructure.

India has since sought the immediate and safe return of the personnel, strongly underlining that "no harm comes to the India defence personnel in its custody."

On Tuesday, India launched an anti-terror strike against a Jaish-e-Mohammed JeM terror training camp in Pakistan Balakot, in which a large number of terrorists have been killed by the India Air Force, according to Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale.

The air strike was carried out in the aftermath of the February 14 terrorist attack on a CRPF convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, which claimed the lives of over 40 CRPF personnel.

Pakistan based JeM staked responsibility for the attacks, which have been widely condemned by the international community. There has been mounting global pressure against Pakistan to stop providing support and a safe haven to terrorists ever since.