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New Delhi: Pakistan has increased its space surveillance power manifold by launching a series of six Earth Observation (EO) satellites in the last one and a half year. These EO or spy satellites can be used by Pakistan to keep an eye on India’s borders, army deployment and military assets.Pak launches 6 satellites in one year; Expert warns, it can be used for spying on IndiaAlthough the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) was established in 1961, Pakistan launched its first satellite only in 1990. Even payloads launched with the help of foreign launchers over the past several decades were less than a dime a dozen. However, between January 2025 and April 2026, Pakistan surprisingly launched six EO satellites, mostly with the help of Chinese rockets.The six EO satellites, launched by SpaceX-Falcon 9 on January 14, 2025, are Pakistan Air University PAUSAT-1; Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite-Earth Observation 1 (PRSC-EO1) launched by China’s Long March-2D rocket on January 17, 2025; PRSS-2 EO by a Chinese rocket on July 31, 2025; Hyperspectral satellite HS-1 by China’s Long March on October 19, 2025; PRSC-EO2 launched by China’s Smart Dragon-3 on February 12, 2026; and PRSC-EO3 by the Chinese Long March-6 on April 25 this year.Group Captain Ajay Ahlawat (retd), now a defense analyst, told TOI, “There is no mystery about these satellites as all payload launches are recorded with ITU (International Telecommunication Union). We (India) also do not miss out. These EO satellites have been designed to see things in more detail and have improved Pakistan’s visibility over Indian territory for at least 3-4 years. In contrast, India has not been able to launch a single surveillance satellite in the last one year. Our payload is ready. But there is no rocketry system. After several recent failures, ISRO is worried and not confident about successful launches.“Our NavIC system has also become vulnerable as only three navigation satellites are in space against the requirement of minimum four, forcing our strategic forces to depend on foreign navigation systems like GPS and GLONASS for missile navigation,” the defense expert said. Group Captain Ahlawat (Retd) suggested that until ISRO fixes its rocket problems, India should get its payloads that are critical for major space missions to be launched from friendly space agencies like Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana or Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome.Rear Admiral Sudhir Pillai (Retd), also a defense analyst, recently said in his blog, “When the EO-3 satellite is passing over South Asia in daylight, the PRSC-S1 is passing over the same geography in darkness, and vice versa. Since the optical satellite requires daylight and the SAR satellite does not, both satellites together provide what cannot be achieved alone, in the entire 24-hour cycle of the South Asian theatre. Compressed revision cycles approaching persistence in operational terms.“Writing about India’s satellite plans, Pillai further wrote, “India’s Space-Based Surveillance Phase-III program – SBS-3 – approved in October 2024 and accelerated after Operation Vermillion, envisages a constellation of 52 surveillance satellites to be deployed in the second half of this decade. The intention is good, but the sequencing problem is acute: China’s already dense military satellite network and the overhead ISR threat from this China-enabled Pakistani constellation are now operational, While the first launches of SBS-3 are only expected to begin around 2026 and full deployment is generally not anticipated before 2029.“

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has backed Ben Stokes to remain as England Test captain despite the controversy over a breach of team protocol, arguing that the all-rounder has made a mistake but should not lose his job because of the incident.

Writing in The Telegraph, Vaughan said Stokes had clearly crossed a line by breaking the team curfew, but questioned whether the offense was serious enough that he should be removed as captain.

Vaughan wrote, “Yes, Ben Stokes broke curfew. Yes, he made a mistake. But is that a dismissable offense as England’s Test captain? I don’t think so.”

The former England captain said that although the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has every right to take disciplinary action, he disagrees with any move to remove Stokes from the leadership role.

Vaughan wrote, “The ECB has to be brave and strong enough to do what it thinks is right. If it has to be sacked then so be it, but I do not agree with that decision on this issue.”

Vaughan’s defense of Stokes comes at a time when the England captain’s future has become a major talking point following a breach of team protocol. While acknowledging that disciplinary action may be necessary, Vaughan argued that punishment should be proportionate to the crime.

The former captain said one should not automatically lose the captaincy due to an error in judgment, especially considering the role Stokes has played in England’s recent success in Test cricket.

curfew violation investigation

Stokes will not play in England’s second test against New Zealand at the Oval following an incident at a London nightclub earlier this week.

Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson defied the team’s midnight curfew after celebrating England’s first Test win over New Zealand on Monday morning. The pair were present when a member of England’s security staff was attacked by Saracens rugby player Totoa Auwa.

The security staff member was reportedly left bloodied and required medical treatment following the incident.

The ECB confirmed on Monday evening that it was investigating a breach of team protocol, while both Stokes and Atkinson Investigation is also being done by the cricket regulator.

With Stokes unavailable, England have turned to former captain Joe Root to lead the side at The Oval, sidelining Harry Brook despite his vice-captain role.

The ECB has denied reports that Stokes has been asked to resign and have instead given the 35-year-old time to consider his options.

brooke case

A significant part of Vaughan’s argument focused on what he believed was the ECB’s inconsistent handling of the previous disciplinary case involving Brook.

“The problem for ECB chief executive Richard Gould and cricket director Rob Key is that their poor handling of the Brook situation has set a precedent,” Vaughan wrote.

Brooke was involved in a nightclub incident in Wellington In October, the night before he was to captain England in a One Day International against New Zealand. The batsman was hit by a bouncer, details of the incident became public months later.

Following an investigation by the regulator of cricket, Brook received a final warning and was fined, while teammates Jacob Bethel and Josh Tongue were also investigated. No action was taken against Tong.

According to Vaughan, the ECB’s decision to allow Brook to remain captain while imposing only a financial penalty weakened its authority in dealing with future disciplinary breaches.

Vaughan wrote, “He allowed him to continue as captain, suppressed it and by being so lenient put himself in a position where he had to take strict action on any other minor breach of team rules in the future.”

calls for fellowship

Vaughan also questioned whether financial penalties alone are enough to deter players from repeating mistakes.

He wrote, “They fined Brooks, not a suspension. Fines are nothing to these boys. So when people at the highest levels of management allow a team to do a lot, don’t be surprised if it happens again.”

With Stokes and Atkinson under investigation, the ECB faces a key decision on how to respond. While Vaughan acknowledged that the England captain made an error in judgment, he believes that one lapse should not be enough to end Stokes’ tenure as captain.

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The district administration also directed officials to seek clarification from their subordinate staff and submit detailed, fact-based reports along with supporting documents

Ghaziabad: : The district administration has issued show cause notices to five officials whose performance was found to be well below the target set during a recent review of preparations for the ongoing census exercise.According to officials, a review of the House Listing Block (HLB) work revealed a substantial gap between the number of blocks allotted and the number of blocks completed in many urban and semi-urban areas of the district. The Administration found that despite repeated instructions and monitoring, progress in these areas was well below expectations.District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Mandar directed officials to explain the reasons for the poor progress in their respective jurisdictions and warned that negligence in completing census duties could attract action under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948, besides departmental disciplinary proceedings.Data reviewed by the district administration showed that in Modinagar, only 96 out of 253 allotted HLBs were completed, while in Khoda Municipality, 383 out of 1,040 allotted blocks were completed. Loni Municipality reported that 842 out of 1,393 HLBs were completed, while only 83 out of 173 allotted blocks in Muradnagar recorded progress. The performance of Loni tehsil administration was also found deficient, only 62 out of 152 HLBs could be completed.In a notice issued to the officials concerned, Mandar described the pace of work as “extremely slow and unsatisfactory” and said it was not in line with the targets set by the state and central government. He also said that the Chief Secretary had expressed displeasure over the slow progress of census preparations in some areas.Officials said the administration has held several review meetings and has repeatedly directed officials to closely monitor the work of enumerators and supervisors. However, the expected improvement was not visible on the ground. The notice said it appears that the authorities concerned have failed to ensure effective supervision and accountability among the field staff, resulting in delay in completion of the exercise.The district administration also directed officials to seek clarification from their subordinate staff and submit detailed, fact-based reports along with supporting documents. Officials said the replies would be carefully examined and if the explanations were found unsatisfactory, strict action could be initiated.The administration stressed that timely completion of the house listing phase is important for the smooth implementation of the nationwide census program and warned that any delay will be viewed seriously.