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 The High Commission of India wishes to clarify the factual position with regard to the request for permission for landing of a charter flight at Waterkloof Air Force Base on 30th April 2013.

• The initial request was made by the High Commission of India on 28th February since the charter flight was expected to carry several Ministers from State Governments as well as Central Government and senior political figures from India. The request was made with a view to ensuring appropriate security arrangements and courtesies for the visiting dignitaries in accordance with normal practice. Since it was a military matter (the request was for permission for a charter plane to land at the Military Airport), a formal request was made by the Defence Advisor in the High Commission, vide a letter dated 28th February addressed to the Chief of Defence Foreign Relations in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), which is the standard and official channel of communication prescribed for communications by the Defence Advisors based in South Africa. Copies of these communications are not usually sent to DIRCO. Mission’s request was made full two months in advance from the date of the scheduled landing of plane and all requested information was provided to the concerned authorities. Mission’s original communication of 28th February was followed by a subsequent communication of 04th April by the Defence Adviser to the Air Command Unit of the Air Force Command Post with a copy to the Chief of Defence Foreign Relations in SANDF forwarding a proforma furnishing details of the flight, aircraft and number of passengers. In this communication a reference to the original communication of 28th February was made.

• Authorisation for landing was provided to the Mission by the South African Air Force on 09th April, 3 weeks prior to the scheduled landing date.

• Several senior Ministers and dignitaries from the Government of Uttar Pradesh, which is the largest State in India with a total population of 200 million, were actually on the flight that landed on the morning of 30th April. These included Hon’ble Mr. Shivpal Singh Yadav, Minister of Public Works and Irrigation; Hon’ble Mr. Azam Khan, Minister of Minority Welfare Affairs; Hon’ble Mr. Rajendra Singh Rana, Minister for Rural Engineering; Hon’ble Mr. Mata Prasad, Speaker of Uttar Pradesh Assembly as well as officials accompanying the Ministers. Of these dignitaries, the visit of Hon’ble Mr. Shivpal Singh Yadav, Minister of Public Works and Irrigation and the delegation accompanying the Minister was an official visit, which took place at the invitation of the Free State Government and a Memorandum of Intent was signed between the Free State Government and Uttar Pradesh Government for a broad based cooperation covering economic development, irrigation and agriculture sectors.