Pakistan expresses concern over anti-satellite weapon test by India

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office of Pakistan issued a press release on Wednesday expressing deep concerns over Anti-Satellite weapon (ASAT) test conducted by India last week.

The FO said: “Pakistan has noted with deep concern the assessment of relevant organizations and international experts on the threats resulting from space debris generated by the recently conducted Anti-Satellite weapon test by India.”

Pakistan joined other countries by sharing the reservation over the reports that some of the space debris created by this test has been pushed above the apogee of the International Space Station (ISS) which has increased the risk of collision with space missions.

The Foreign Office also laid stress that this ASAT test should be a matter of grave concern for the international community not only in terms of generation of space debris but also because of its ramifications for long term sustainability of peaceful space activities.

“It would also be amiss to ignore the military dimension of such actions and its implications on the global and regional peace, stability and security,” the press released asserted.

Pakistan remains a strong proponent of non-militarization of outer space, it added.

“We will continue to work with like-minded countries to address gaps in the international legal regime governing the exploration and use of outer space with a view to ensuring that no one threatens peaceful activities and applications of space technologies for socio-economic development.

In the absence of strong legal instruments, other states could also follow suit by demonstrating such capabilities.”