Sri Lanka, Dec. 2 -- Pakistan has claimed that its relief aircraft remains stranded due to insufficient overflight clearance, despite India stating earlier that permission had been granted for a Pakistani plane carrying humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka.

In a statement, the Pakistani High Commission in Colombo said the aircraft has been unable to depart because the clearance granted did not provide enough time for the plane to complete the round trip to Colombo.

According to the statement, Pakistan's relief operation was launched on the special directives of the Pakistani Prime Minister, who ordered the immediate mobilization of national resources to support Sri Lanka during its time of need. Since November 29, the Pakistan Armed Forces and...