'We know moon's location': Ex-Pakistan minister's reaction to India's Chandrayaan mission goes viral

Days after India sent another spacecraft to land on the moon's south pole, former Pakistan Minister of Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry's old video interview on the previous mission has gone viral on social media. According to him, there is no need for the moon mission as it is clearly visible from Earth and its location is known."Itne papad belne ki zaroorat nahi hai (there is no need for such efforts)," the former minister said while speaking to Pakistan's Ary News in May 2019.

"Chaand jo hai najar aa jata hai, exactly uski location pata hoti hai...kis territory me uska kya altitude hoga (the moon is visible, its location is known, and what will be its altitude in which territory is also known)," he said. Chaudhry served as Pakistan's Minister for Science and Technology from April 2019 to April 2021.

India's space agency Isro launched Chandrayaan-2 in July 2019. The mission in 2019 successfully deployed an orbiter but its lander and rover crash-landed during final descent. Four years later, Isro has launched Chandrayaan-3 to attempt a touchdown at the lunar south pole, which is yet to be explored and no spacecraft from any other country has landed there so far.

Chaudhry congratulated India for the launch of Chandrayan 3 but his old take on the mission has left the people amused on social media.

Sharing the video, one user wrote: "Chandrayaan 3 ko Pakistan ka karara jawab."

Another user, Prakash Jyoti, said: "Shame on us for wasting 600 cr then."

https://twitter.com/Thegreat_PJ30/status/1680964287433707521

S Tendehar said: "Kaash ye baat ISRO ke scientists ko kisi ne bta di hoti."

In a tweet on July 14 soon after India launched the mission, Chaudhry congratulated India and said: "Congratulations to Indian space and Science community on the launch of #Chandrayan3 wishing you all the best." This was a departure from his earlier stand where he had mocked India after the Chandrayan-2 crash landed.