Pakistan has called for boosting efforts to prevent an arms race in outer space, warning that any conflict that erupts in or originates from there “will not be confined to that realm.”
“The fallout will ripple across all domains of life, with devastating consequences for us all: Even nations without space assets will not be spared,” Pakistani delegate Gul Qaiser Sarwani told the General Assembly’s First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) in its thematic debate on Thursday
Sarwani, a counsellor in the Pakistan Mission to the UN, said that the risks and potential for conflict in or from outer space have deepened, as has a reliance on outer space in every aspect of daily life. The most glaring manifestation of these risks, he added, is an emerging arms race and the weaponization of outer space.
The interplay between defensive and offensive capabilities, particularly the integration of missile defence systems with space-based technologies, is undermining strategic stability at both global and regional levels, the Pakistani delegate said. “With modern warfare relying so heavily on space-based assets, there is a very real risk that conflicts on Earth—whether on land, at sea, or in the air—could spill over into outer space, or even be ignited by developments there.”
In this regard, Sarwani called for concrete, meaningful action, regretting that no progress has been made on advancing international negotiations on the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) in accordance with the spirit of the Outer Space Treaty that was negotiated almost six decades ago.
“We remain concerned that divisions on how to pursue space security have sharpened as we see competing processes and divergences in conceptual approaches”. In order to address treats to outer space, the Pakistani delegate called for a “more holistic approach to address not only the dual-use problem but also the capabilities being designed, developed and deployed for the explicit purposes of warfighting in outer space”.
Pakistan, he said, has consistently advocated for advancing negotiations on a legally binding instrument on PAROS, contributing actively to non-legally binding measures such as Transparency and Confidence-Building Measures (TCBMs). “Historically,” he explained, “non-legally binding measures have contributed to the development of legally binding instruments and hold the potential to do so in the future.
“A holistic approach to space security is our best hope to prevent an arms race and to safeguard outer space for future generations, ensuring that it remains a domain free from conflict, Sarwani said in conclusion.
