NEW DELHI — The High Commission of Malaysia in New Delhi has a procedure in place to evacuate Malaysian citizens if the situation warrants, following the heightened tension between India and Pakistan.
The Malaysian diplomatic mission advised Malaysian citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to the state of Jammu and Kashmir as Indian and Pakistani military jets engaged in combat during the day.
“Everyone is urged to remain vigilant, and monitor the developments through the news. The High Commission has in place an SOP (standard operating procedure) for evacuation, which would be activated if the situation warrants such a move,” it said.
There are approximately 80 Malaysian families residing in north India, where some airports saw suspension of commercial flights on Wednesday.
“All of them are doing well, given the current situation. As of now, we are advising all Malaysians to avoid unnecessary travels to the state of Jammu and Kashmir, areas bordering Jammu and Kashmir, as well as areas along the India-Pakistan borders,” the High Commission told Bernama.
With more than 210 weekly flights, business and leisure travel between India and Malaysia is significant.
Several airports in northern India — Srinagar, Jammu, Leh, Dehradun, Pathankot, Amritsar, Shimla, Kangra, Kullu Manali, Pithoragarh — were closed to civilian aircraft during the day, local media reported.
The restrictions were later lifted and flights resumed, however, “given the dynamic situation, such closure could be implemented by the Indian authorities from time to time”, the High Commission cautioned.
— BERNAMA
