Days after a round of talks between India and Pakistan on the modalities of the Kartarpur Corridor, another major development has come from Pakistan: the airspace of Pakistan is no more out of bounds for civilian flights taking off from or landing at the Indian airports. The decision to end months-long restrictions will benefit Indian flights but the long-term benefits should be realised in terms of the development of trust between the two neighbouring countries. Pakistan and India had closed airspace to each other after a military standoff in the wake of the Pulwama attack. “With immediate effect Pakistan airspace is open for all types of civil traffic on published ATS (Air Traffic Service) routes,” read a notice to airmen published on the Civil Aviation Authority’s website on Tuesday. Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan said that after the closure of the eastern side airspace, Pakistan’s losses were less when compared to India’s as Indian commercial flights had to take longer routes. Pakistan also showed its willingness to negotiate the ban issue through allowing a flight of the then Indian external affairs minister, Sushma Swaraj, when she travelled to Bishkek to attend the SCO Summit on May 21. Side by side, Indian students and the diplomats serving in India had also launched an appeal to the authorities in Islamabad to consider lifting the ban for it was costing them in terms of both time and money. Some airlines had reduced their operations to India while the United Airlines Holdings Inc said it was extending the suspension of its flights from the United States to the Indian cities of Mumbai and Delhi until Oct 26, citing the continued Pakistani restriction. The end to airspace ban should open up hearts on either side. Diplomacy is the best way to talk out differences. Both sides have suffered a lot for decades by being hostile to each other on one issue or the other. True, there are genuine issues like Kashmir which will always be there whenever diplomacy is tried. India will have to listen to the Kashmiris and the UN resolutions which offer a doable solution to the issue. Similarly, Islamabad also will have to respond to its eastern neighbour’s concerns. The Kartarpur Corridor offers a unique opportunity to both the countries to come close to each other and open such more points facilitating people-to-people contacts. When people meet, they exchange views and friendships ensue. Soon, this people-level friendship will turn into state-level friendship. *