Ad astra

AMONG the many developments this month that Pakistanis can take pride in is the news that one of their own will soon be heading to space. Two candidates, Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud, have been selected for China’s manned space programme after clearing multiple rounds of selection procedures. They will be travelling to that country soon to start training. One will eventually join a Chinese flight mission as a payload specialist and become the first foreign astronaut to board China’s space station.

The news has been celebrated in Pakistan, but China, too, seems equally excited about it. The China Manned Space Agency has described it as a “landmark event in the history of China’s space industry” and has cited the Pakistani candidates’ participation in its programme as an example of Beijing’s “willingness to share its space development achievements with the international community”. Both Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and China’s Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong feted the two candidates at PMO on Thursday.

Many Pakistanis, young and old, who have dreamt of travelling to space will see this as a most exciting development. They will wait eagerly for these two young candidates to share their experiences in spaceflight training, and for the would-be space traveller to relive the journey and adventure for those of us who remain earth-bound. It is hoped that the media attention will also kindle an interest among younger Pakistanis in astronomy and astrophysics and inspire a healthy sense of wonder in what lies in the great beyond.

It is highly commendable that the present government took this initiative, and it is hoped that its educational and scientific benefits will be shared far and wide. China, too, deserves appreciation for welcoming Pakistan’s space aspirations and providing an opportunity to two young hopefuls to participate in its space programme. The partnership between the two nations has often been described in superlatives; in this case at least, it truly seems bound for high places.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2026