Grounded and Surrounded: PIA Cancels Itself, Gilgit Goes Offline, and China Becomes Pakistan’s New AirBnB...

Amid escalating India-Pakistan tensions, Gilgit-Baltistan finds itself digitally isolated, physically marooned, and metaphorically ghosted. PIA cancels flights, Indian airspace slams shut, and the skies above South Asia resemble the family WhatsApp group after a political debate — blocked, bitter, and heading straight for China.

From the Terminal of Tactical Turbulence, Subcontinental Section

Skardu | New Delhi | Islamabad | Beijing | Somewhere Above the Karakoram Range

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ACT I: HOW TO LOSE A COUNTRY IN TEN AIRSPACES

First, there was a massacre in Pahalgam. Then came the political theatre, diplomatic noise, and missile-sized headlines. But this week’s most tragicomic plot twist?

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) cancelling all flights to Gilgit and Skardu — while also watching international routes get rerouted through China like it’s 1962 with complimentary peanuts.

The reason?

India shut its airspace to all Pakistani aircraft in a retaliatory move following the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 tourists. It's the aeronautical equivalent of a breakup text that says, “Lose my number. And my sky.”

Suddenly, Pakistan’s sky shrunk faster than its forex reserves.

And Gilgit-Baltistan? Cut off, closed in, and culturally exiled — now reachable only via road, prayer, or Beijing's good graces.

ACT II: PIA FLIES INTO A MOUNTAIN OF TROUBLE (METAPHORICALLY THIS TIME)

PIA’s decision to suspend services to Gilgit and Skardu, especially during the tourism-heavy spring months, is like an ice cream shop shutting down in May because the cones feel threatened. And make no mistake — this wasn’t just a cancellation.

It was an economic ghosting of an entire region.

Imagine booking a trip to see the world’s second-highest mountain, and your national airline tells you, “We’re scared of air.”

Locals are stranded. Tourists are trapped.

And the only aircraft visible now are eagles laughing in Urdu.

Meanwhile, PIA is now looking at China as an alternate corridor for its international flights, because India has gone full “no-fly zone”. PIA might now require overflight permission from Beijing — which means, yes, Chinese bureaucrats will now technically know more about Pakistani flight routes than Pakistan’s own civil aviation.

Who’s the sovereign now?

ACT III: GILGIT, SKARDU AND THE CURSE OF ‘STRATEGIC ASSETS’

Ah, Gilgit-Baltistan. The mountaintop mistress of subcontinental geopolitics.

Claimed by India, administered by Pakistan, and now stalked by China — this Himalayan hot potato has seen more flag changes than a failed coup in a banana republic.

And now, even its planes have given up.

Flights were Gilgit’s lifeline — especially during snow-blocked winters and post-earthquake emergencies. With PIA’s sudden retreat, the region isn’t just cut off — it’s symbolically abandoned. There’s no greater way to say “you're on your own” than canceling the last link between your capital and your crown jewel.

Ironically, the only planes that might land now are either Chinese drones or misfired weather balloons claiming to study clouds. Skardu might as well install a helipad for visiting Chinese dignitaries — because that's the only inbound traffic left.

ACT IV: INDIA’S SKY-LEVEL SMACKDOWN — PASSIVE AGGRESSION WITH ALTITUDE

India’s decision to block Pakistani flights post-Pahalgam wasn’t just strategic; it was petty perfection in policy form.

The timing was exquisite.

The messaging? Brutal.

The consequences? Existential.

Not only does this sky lockdown deepen Pakistan’s logistical and economic woes — it forces every international Pakistani flight to now burn extra fuel, time, and dignity rerouting over Iran, China, or the Arabian Sea.

Southeast Asia flights will now take longer than Pakistani court cases.

PIA’s Dubai-Kuala Lumpur flight now looks like a school bus with detours for snacks, oil, and regret.

This is weaponized cartography.

ACT V: ENTER CHINA, STAGE LEFT (AS ALWAYS)

In comes China, twirling its diplomatic moustache, ready to play hero in a crisis it quietly helped ferment.

Now that Pakistani air routes are facing tandoori turbulence, Beijing is offering its airspace like a strategic Uber.

Need to fly to Malaysia?

Beijing says: “Use our skies.”

Need to reach Gilgit from Lahore?

Beijing might soon offer a Silk Road Airlines service — direct, sponsored, and slightly creepy.

Welcome to PakChina Airways, where:

• The cockpit speaks Mandarin,

• The inflight snack is boiled cabbage,

• And the seatbelt announcement includes a reminder that CPEC is a “forever friendship.”

ACT VI: THE WTF MATH OF STRATEGIC STUPIDITY

Let’s do the numbers, shall we?

• Rs 1,200 crore/year: Estimated tourism revenue lost from flight cancellation to GB.

• 2 to 4 hours: Additional flight time for international routes due to rerouting.

• Millions: Litres of additional fuel burned.

• One: Country laughing quietly in Sanskrit.

This is more than inconvenience. It’s economic self-sabotage.

All because some terrorists thought shooting tourists would achieve their jihadist goals — and their state sponsors thought that flying into diplomatic isolation was better than flying into a compromise.

ACT VII: THE PATHOS AND THE PARODY

Let’s summarize this in classic desi soap-opera style:

• India: “You killed our people. Now fly somewhere else.”

• Pakistan: “We shall retaliate by... shutting down airports we need.”

• PIA: “Wait, who’s our enemy again? The terrorists or the fuel bills?”

• Gilgit-Baltistan: “Hello? Anyone coming to visit?”

• China: “Please enjoy your flight over occupied territories. Mandarin classes begin at cruising altitude.”

ACT VIII: FINAL DESCENT — AND A DIPLOMATIC BLACK BOX

The crisis of PIA’s suspended routes and Pakistan’s grounded geography is not merely about airspace. It’s about sovereignty performed vs sovereignty practiced.

While Pakistan shouts about Kashmir, it can’t even guarantee uninterrupted access to its own territory.

While India is busy integrating rail, road, and remote drone warfare — Pakistan is busy figuring out how to borrow the sky.

And while China pretends to be the helpful neighbour, it continues to wrap Pakistan in a warm hug… while fitting it for shackles.

This is not the future Gilgit asked for.

This is a tragedy playing out at 35,000  feet — and no one is offering parachutes.

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COMMENTS SECTION (UNSANCTIONED BUT UNSTOPPABLE)

• @TravelBiryani: “Tried to book a flight to Skardu. Got rerouted to Urumqi. Ended up in a dumpling stall. Help.”

• @WokePakPilot: “We’ve gone from flying high to just flying Chinese.”

• @LOC_journalist: “Skardu tourism slogan 2025: ‘You can check in, but you can’t fly out.’”

• @IndiaAirDefence: “Pakistani planes? Not on my watch. Or my radar. Or my hemisphere.”