India made history after it became the fourth country in the world to land a spacecraft on the moon. This is a commendable feat which must be appreciated. India also became the first country to land a spacecraft on the unexplored south pole of the moon.
In Pakistan, there has been mixed reaction over the achievement. While some have congratulated the neighbouring country, most remarks are based on hatred and envy. India has been called out for its priorities as million lives in abject poverty. We were also reminded how former minister Fawad Chaudhry mocked India when its moon mission failed in 2019. India completed the mission on a shoestring budget of 6.1 billion rupees, while Pakistan has a non-existent space exploration programme.
It must be remembered that Pakistan set up its space agency SUPARCO in 1961, eight years before ISRO. It became the third country in Asia to launch a successful space rocket Rehbar-1. In the early 1960s, it attained the capability to develop rocket engines and made progress in satellite technology. But soon after, it managed to keep a low profile as the nation’s priorities changed.
The first chairman of SUPARCO was Nobel laureate Prof Abdus Salam who played a major role in Pakistan’s space policy. He accompanied President Ayub Khan to the United States when NASA launched the Apollo moon mission. Pakistan unveiled a space programme that was the first of its kind in the Muslim world and among developed countries.
In subsequent years, Pakistan’s space programme faced many setbacks and difficulties that slowed down progress. SUPARCO is now more focused on missile technology and its projects are kept under wraps. Since 2001, it has been under the control of the Pakistan Army Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, an administrative branch of the army and its chairman has been a serving Major-General.
Pakistan is now working on its 2040 space programme to catch up with its Indian and Chinese counterparts. This seems a distant dream for now as the country grapples with economic challenges and lacks a well-developed IT sector. While space research and exploration may not be a priority, we need to focus on prioritizing science and technology to compete with modern needs.
