NEW DELHI: At a time when Bangladesh has sought to rebuild ties with Pakistan, it has faced a reality check. Pakistan has blocked its airspace to a Russian flight carrying nuclear fuel for Bangladesh’s Rooppur nuclear power plant. The first batch of nuclear fuel for Unit-2 of Bangladesh’s first nuclear power plant was scheduled to arrive on September 24.
The timing is significant as Bangladesh is looking to begin commercial operations at its first nuclear power plant at the earliest, as it faces its worst energy crises in decades. Against this backdrop, Pakistan’s denial of airspace clearance is likely to delay the delivery of nuclear fuel and, potentially, affect the plant’s operational timeline.
Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy major Rosatom is implementing the Rooppur project and is responsible for delivery of uranium to Bangladesh.
While admitting that Pakistan did not provide the clearance, Bangladesh science and technology minister Faqir Mahbub Anam said no reason was provided by Islamabad. The Russian flight was supposed to cross Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, and India before landing in Dhaka.
“The flight was not given permission to use Pakistani airspace. As of now, the exact reason for Pakistan not granting the airspace clearance is still unknown,” the minister told ANI.
Bangladeshi media reports suggested that the airspace denial happened at the eleventh hour. However, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) has remained tight-lipped about which country denied the airspace permit.
Tauhidul Islam, joint secretary at the Science Ministry, said all preparations had been completed at the airport when officials were informed by Rosatom that it had not received airspace clearance
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