Pakistan's diplomatic team offers condolences to India over plane crash after arriving in Brussels
The Air India flight bound for London crashed minutes after takeoff from the western Indian city of Ahmedabad earlier in the day, according to the airline and local police.
Authorities have not yet confirmed whether there were any fatalities in the flight that was en route to Gatwick Airport before it crashed in a civilian area near the airport.
'Saddened to hear a tragic incident occurred earlier today,' Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, a former Pakistani foreign minister, said in a social media post on X. 'Where an Air India flight with approximately 240 passengers crashed shortly after takeoff near Ahmedabad, India. I express my profound condolences to the people of India.'
Pakistan and India have launched parallel diplomatic offensives around the world following their worst military confrontation in decades that saw an exchange of missile, drone and artillery strikes between the nuclear-armed neighbors before the US and other allies brokered a ceasefire on May 10.
The Pakistani delegation has already visited the United States and the United Kingdom before arriving in Belgium.
'Pakistan's diplomatic mission led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has reached Brussels, the European Union headquarters, after successful visits to Washington, New York and London,' Radio Pakistan said in its report on Thursday. 'The parliamentary delegation will inform the European authorities about India's anti-Pakistan intentions and aggressive actions.'
It added the Pakistani delegation will also meet leading European think tanks and international media representatives.
Presenting Pakistan's position on the recent tensions with India and highlighting the importance of resolving the Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions are key items on the agenda.
Pakistan criticized Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar a day earlier for delivering 'bellicose punchlines' during his Brussels visit that took place shortly before the arrival of Islamabad's delegation in the city.
The Indian minister had asserted New Delhi reserved the right to target Pakistan following a militant attack.
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