Pakistan to counter move

ISLAMABAD — The launch of first Indian spy satellite into the orbit to monitor borders with Pakistan has raised
many eyebrows and the development is likely to have adverse impact on terror war as well as strategic balance
in South Asia.
Well-placed government sources told TheNation that India’s Monday move has been taken by Islamabad as a
pinch of salt and would seek to balance out the situation with counter plans come what may.
“In the interest of peace, India should have delayed its satellite-based spying mission on Pakistan that is
currently engaged in fighting terror on its western border,” a senior official said requesting anonymity.
“Since both the South Asian nuclear neighbours, India and Pakistan, always had tense relations because of
Kashmir dispute, this development would add new dimension to their already estranged relations”, a leading
defence analyst said.
He was of the view that Pakistan cannot remain insensitive to this development and would also like to follow the
suit to boost its surveillance capability.
Some sources, however, dropped hints that Pakistan may launch its own satellite in a couple of years as it was
already in the process of acquiring technology relating to satellite launching vehicle to counter the Indian move.
Pakistan had also launched a space research programme in late 80s and had already launched two satellites
Badar-1 and Badar-2 on an experimental basis in collaboration with one of the Central Asian Republics.