U-turn: After mocking India's moon mission, ex-Pak minister Fawad Chaudhry lauds Chandrayaan-3's successful landing

Chandigarh, August 23

It was a great achievement for India on Wednesday evening as the Chandrayaan-3 lander module successfully landed on the moon’s South Pole, making it the first country to have achieved the historic feat and bringing to an end the disappointment over the crash landing of the Chandrayaan-2, four years ago.

“India is on the moon!” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said. He watched the live telecast and as soon as the touchdown happened he sported a big smile and waved the tricolour.

Meanwhile, India’s achievement also derived applause from an unexpected quarter.

Pakistan’s former Minister of Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “What a great moment for #ISRO as #Chandrayaan3 lands on the Moon, I can see lots of young scientists celebrating this moment with Mr Somnat Chairman ISRO, only Younger generation with dreams  can change the world … good luck.”

 What a great moment for #ISRO as #Chandrayaan3 lands on the Moon, I can see lots of young scientists celebrating this moment with Mr Somnat Chairman ISRO, only Younger generation with dreams can change the world … good luck

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) August 23, 2023

However, Fawad had in 2019 made fun of India’s moon mission after it’s failure.

When the Chandrayaan-2 failed, Fawad, who was then minister in the Imran Khan government, made fun in a series of tweets. “Awwwww….Jo kaam ata nahin panga nai leitay na…Dear “Endia”, he wrote in a tweet.

“Dear Endia; instead of wasting money on insane missions as of Chandrayyan concentrate on poverty within, your approach on #Kashmir II be another Chandrayyan just price tag II be far bigger,” Fawad wrote in another tweet back in 2019, which is now deleted.

“Endia only way now you can reach moon is through Bollywood, another 100 crore and you guys II be on the moon. you failed when instead of scientists you relied on Jotishi and delayed the mission, Come out of hatred for other communities,” he wrote in another tweet.

However, India’s success forced him to have a change of heart and take a U-turn from his earlier stand.

Meanwhile, today’s success makes India becomes the fourth country after US, China, and Russia to have successfully landed on the moon’s surface and it has earned a place in record books as the first to touchdown on the south side of Earth’s only natural satellite.