Pakistan Warns India against Militarization of Space

Pakistan on Wednesday issued a warning about military threats in space after India said it shot down one of its own low-orbit satellites. “Space is the common heritage of mankind and every nation has the responsibility to avoid actions which can lead to the militarization of this arena,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement, without mentioning India by name. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that downing the satellite was a part of a test exercise called “Mission Shakti.” Modi added that the mission proved India had become a “space superpower,” along with the US, Russia and China. The latest space-weaponry exercise by the nuclear-armed nation has been pegged as a demonstration of military might amid escalating tensions with neighboring Pakistan. The heightened hostility between the two states stems from cross-border clashes in the Kashmir region that occurred in February. A resolution of the issue has yet to be reached.