Pakistan against outer space arms race

ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI: The Foreign Office said Pakistan had been a strong proponent of the Prevention of Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) hours after India destroyed a low-orbiting satellite in a missile test on Wednesday.PAROS is a UN resolution that reaffirms the fundamental principles of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and advocates for a ban on the weaponisation of space.In a statement, the Foreign Office said: “Space is the common heritage of mankind and every nation has the responsibility to avoid actions which can lead to the militarisation of this arena. We believe that there is a need to address gaps in the international space laws with a view to ensuring that no one threatens peaceful activities and applications of space technologies for socio-economic development. “We hope that countries which have in the past strongly condemned demonstration of similar capabilities by others will be prepared to work towards developing international instruments to prevent military threats relating to outer space. Boasting of such capabilities is reminiscent of Don Quixote’s tilting against windmills.”The statement comes hours after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India had joined the United States, Russia and China as the world’s most advanced space powers. A missile fired from a testing facility in Odisha, eastern India, downed the satellite at around 185 miles in “a difficult operation” that lasted around three minutes, Modi said.“This is a proud moment for India,” the prime minister added, in his first televised national address since late 2016. “India has registered its name in the list of space superpowers. Until now, only three countries had achieved this feat.”Modi said the anti-satellite missile test was peaceful, and not designed to create “an atmosphere of war”. “I want to assure the world community that the new capability is not against anyone. This is to secure and defend... fast-growing India.”The announcement comes ahead of a national election in which Modi — whose Hindu nationalist party stormed to power in 2014 — is seeking a second term in office. Voting starts April 11 and will last nearly six weeks, with close to 900 million Indians eligible to vote in the world’s largest election.Under election laws in force, the government is forbidden from announcing new policies or other major developments that could benefit the ruling party. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi congratulated India’s scientists on the feat but also wished Modi “a very happy World Theatre Day” — referring to celebrations also marked around the globe on March 27.

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