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Space is Common Heritage of Mankind - Islamabad

In response to various media queries, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson has stated that Pakistan has been a strong proponent of preventing an arms race in outer space.
Sputnik

"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", the spokesperson stated.

He continued on by saying that Islamabad hopes that countries, which have in the past strongly condemned demonstrations 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", he said.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has also commented on India's anti-satellite missile test.

"We have noticed reports and hope that each country will uphold peace and tranquillity in outer space", the ministry said in a comment.

The statements come after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India had successfully tested an anti-satellite missile. The prime minister pointed out that India was now the fourth country to possess such a missile after the United States, Russia, and China.

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Tensions between India and Pakistan intensified last month, after the Pakistani military shot down two Indian warplanes in the disputed region of Kashmir, reacting to an earlier airstrike by Indian aircraft against what New Delhi claimed was a Jaish-e-Mohammad camp, considered terrorists by India and located on Pakistani soil across the so-called Line of Control, separating India- and Pakistan- controlled Kashmir.

The Indian airstrike took place after a deadly attack by Jaish-e-Mohammad on an Indian paramilitary police force in Kashmir in mid-February. While India has blamed Pakistan for supporting the militants and having a "direct hand" in the incident, Pakistan, in turn, has rejected the allegations.

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