New Delhi, Dec. 1 -- India has granted rapid clearance for Pakistan's aid flight carrying relief material to cyclone-hit Sri Lanka, firmly rejecting "baseless and misleading" claims circulating in Pakistani media that New Delhi had denied permission to use its airspace.

Officials confirmed that the request for overflight was submitted by Pakistan at approximately 1300 hrs (IST) on Monday, seeking same-day permission to fly over Indian airspace. Given the purpose of the request--to provide humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka--India processed the request with exceptional speed.

Permission was officially granted and communicated to the Government of Pakistan through official channels at 1730 hrs (IST) on Monday, with the clearance process...