NEW DELHI: The Pakistan High Commission in Sri Lanka faced criticism online after sharing images of relief materials sent to flood-hit Sri Lanka. In a post on X, the High Commission uploaded photos showing stacks of packaged supplies, stating:“Relief packages from Pakistan have been successfully delivered to assist our brothers and sisters affected by the recent floods in Sri Lanka, which signifies our unwavering solidarity.”However, eagle-eyed netizens quickly noticed what appeared to be expiry dates of October 2024 printed on some of the packages.The replies on the post pointed out the expiry date of the packages, with users claiming Pakistan is “disposing garbage” by sending expired food products as aid.One user wrote, “Instead of disposing in garbage, Pakistan chose to send its expired food materials to flood-hit Sri Lanka.”Others questioned the appropriateness of the donation, with comments such as “Any shame?” flooding the post. Another user joked that the High Commission should avoid opening the comments section to escape criticism. “Comments na kholen paijaan. (Don’t open the comments, brother),” joked the user.Adding to the confusion, a user pointed out that the items visible in the photo resembled Sri Lankan-made biscuits, raising doubts about whether the supplies were genuinely sent from Pakistan.“Aren’t these Sri Lankan biscuits? These don’t seem to be ‘relief packages FROM Pakistan’.”Meanwhile, India dismissed reports claiming it had blocked Pakistan’s airspace request for delivering relief materials to Sri Lanka. Officials clarified that Pakistan submitted an overflight request around 1:00pm local time on Monday, and India approved it “expeditiously,” communicating the clearance by 5:30pm the same day through official channels.
