A video of former information minister of Pakistan, Fawad Chaudhry, has gone viral in India, showing him allegedly responding to India’s Chandrayan-3 moon mission. The former minister is heard saying Pakistan did not feel the need to work hard and send a moon mission.

Indian social media users have been ridiculing the minister and Pakistan for the alleged “response.”

Chandrayan-3 is India’s third and most recent lunar exploration mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in an attempt to land on the surface of the moon.

Reports published in the Indian media claimed that Fawad Chaudhry congratulated India and ISRO on the successful launch of Chandrayaan-3, however, they also claimed that in the viral video clip, Chaudhry is mocking the missions by presenting a strange logic.

According to India Today, Fawad Chaudhry, a participant in a “recent” news show, said in response to a question regarding Chandrayan space mission that, “Itne papar balnay ki zaroorat nahi hai” Pakistan does not need to work that hard.

Describing Fawad Chaudhry’s words as ridiculous, Indian social users made fun of him in a series of sarcastic tweets.

Fact check

This video of Fawad Chaudhry is dated back to May 26, 2019, and he is speaking as the Minister of Science and Technology in Pakistan regarding the disputes over sighting of the Ramadan and Eid moons.

In May 2019, he announced the release of a 5-year lunar calendar with the help of the science ministry. Mufti Muneeb, then-chairman of the Ruet Halal Committee, had criticized the decision.

Along with the release of the lunar calendar, the Ministry of Science and Technology also introduced a website related to lunar dates, which included monthly reports, Hijri calendar, Islamic festivals, and maps.

On May 26, 2019, on a TV show, Fawad Chaudhry talked about the unofficial announcement of the date of Eid, saying, “We have a point of view in the Ministry of Science and Technology. Wherever the moon is, it is visible. Its location is known. It is known when the moon birth is taking place. Where it will be at what altitude, it is known exactly.”

However, it is important to notice that he had given this statement more than 4 years before Chandrayan-3 blasted off.

The Indian media published the news without research and claimed that the statement was made during a “recent” interview.