Pakistan terms Indian moon landing ‘great achievement’

Public acknowledgement of Indian achievement is seen as rare given current state of ties between two countries

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan on Friday termed the successful landing of Indian space mission on South Pole of moon as “great scientific achievement”, saying Indian scientists deserved appreciation.

“I can only say that it is a great scientific achievement, for which ISRO scientists deserve appreciation,” remarked foreign office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch at a weekly news briefing after being asked to comment on the landmark feat by India.

Pakistan’s public acknowledgement of Indian scientific achievement is seen as rare given the current state of relationship between the two countries. Former Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry earlier too praised India for the achievement. Many Pakistanis congratulated India for the feat.

India on August 23 staked a new claim as an international superpower in space, landing its Chandrayaan-3 mission safely on the moon's unexplored South Pole.

The feat makes India the fourth country to land on the moon, and the first to land on one of the moon's lunar poles. Previously, Russia (then the Soviet Union), the US and China landed spacecraft successfully on the moon.

Also read: Chandrayaan-3 lands on moon in historic moment for India

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tuned in to the livestream of the landing from Johannesburg, where he is attending the 15th annual BRICS summit of emerging markets.

"All the people of the world, the people of every country and region: India's successful moon mission is not just India's alone ... this success belongs to all of humanity," Modi said, speaking on the Indian Space Research Organisation webcast of the event.

"We can all aspire for the moon, and beyond," Modi added.

The lunar South Pole has emerged as a place of exploration interest thanks to recent discoveries of traces of water ice on the moon. India previously attempted a lunar South Pole landing in September 2019, but a software failure caused the Chandrayaan-2 mission to crash into the surface.

Meanwhile, the FO spokesperson confirmed that the US Ambassador met the Chief Election Commissioner but advised media to contact the US Embassy or the Election Commission to ascertain the details of the meeting and any contribution that meeting will make for promotion of democracy and holding free and fair elections in Pakistan.

She added that the Foreign Office was not present in that meeting.

Regarding a question about the recent meeting between PTI leaders and seven ambassadors of different countries, the spokesperson termed it as “normal diplomatic practice”, saying diplomats in every country hold such meetings with political leaders of the country where they are posted.

On the recent BRICS summit and its expansion, Mumtaz said Pakistan followed the BRICS related developments in Johannesburg.

Also read: Inflation hurting Modi, but still likely to win India's 2024 polls - survey

“We have also noted its openness to inclusive multilateralism. Pakistan has said several times in the past that it is an ardent supporter of inclusive multilateralism,” she added.

She, however, said Pakistan had not made any formal request to join BRICS.

“We will examine the latest developments and make a determination about our future engagement with BRICS. Pakistan is an ardent supporter of multilateralism and as a member of several multilateral organisations it has always played an important role for global peace and development.”

“Pakistan is also an important developing country that has made many important contributions to promote peace, solidarity and cooperation among countries of the South. We shall continue our efforts at the international fora for fostering the spirit of international cooperation and revitalisation of inclusive multilateralism,” she further said.