China not allowing us to evacuate Indians trapped in Wuhan
India was scheduled to begin another round of operation to evacuate its remaining nationals from Wuhan. However, the flight has been delayed as China is yet to grant a clearance.
Indian Air Force’s C-17 Globemaster will carry out the rescue op. Pic credit- IAF/Twitter
China maintains that there has been no postponement but it is has so far offered vague explanation on the matter.
The Chinese Embassy in India has said that measures to control the coronavirus epidemic in Wuhan has entered a critical stage and that the ground situation is being closely monitored.
It added that China attached great importance to the health & safety of Indian nationals in Wuhan.
So why is it delaying the rescue operation?
Indian authorities say that Beijing is deliberately delaying the op. This as while China has stayed clearance for the IAF aircraft, other countries including France continue to carry out evacuation and relief operations.
In fact, France carried out an evacuation from Wuhan on February 20th- the day India too was scheduled to carry out rescue ops.
Is China applying different rules for India?
Some may wonder that China is delaying the flight as unlike the last time, India is sending a military aircraft.
There were no reports of hindrance when two Air India flights carried out rescued over 600 Indians from the coronavirus epicenter of Wuhan earlier this month.
But these are just speculations that will only be put to an end when the flight takes off or when the Ministry of External Affairs respond.
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