PM hails Pakistan’s first astronauts in China programme as ‘historic milestone’

• ‘I am confident that you are going to write a new chapter in Pakistan’s history,’ Premier Shehbaz tells Pakistanis selected for China’s space mission

• Says the mission would add ‘new dimensions’ to Pakistan’s longstanding partnership with China

• Tells Chinese ambassador Pakistan and China’s friendship ‘ready to reach for the stars and touch heights of the sky’

 ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday lauded the selection of Pakistani astronauts Khurram Daud and Muhammad Zeeshan Ali for China’s manned space programme, calling their inclusion a landmark achievement and a moment of national pride.

“I am confident that you are going to write a new chapter in Pakistan’s history,” the prime minister told the astronauts during a meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office, according to a statement issued by the PMO.

اسلام آباد: 23 اپریل، 2026.

وزیرِ اعظم محمد شہباز شریف سے انسانی خلائی مشن پر جانے والے پاکستانی خلا باز، خرم داؤد اور محمد ذیشان علی کی ملاقات ہوئی. اس موقع پر سپارکو کے خلاباز اتاشی حسنین افتخار بھی موجود تھے.

ملاقات میں نائب وزیرِ اعظم و وزیرِ خارجہ سینیٹر محمد اسحاق ڈار،… pic.twitter.com/20BVGYUIGH

— Prime Minister's Office (@PakPMO) April 23, 2026

Astronaut Attaché Hasnain Iftikhar from the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission was also present at the meeting.

The prime minister expressed delight at meeting the young candidates, describing their selection for space research as a significant milestone for the country. He said their journey symbolised pride not only for the government but for the entire nation, and commended their “round-the-clock efforts” in reaching this stage.

Highlighting bilateral ties, PM Shehbaz said the mission would add “new dimensions” to Pakistan’s longstanding partnership with China, noting that cooperation in space exploration reflected a shared ambition to explore new frontiers and achieve greater scientific progress.

Off to space and beyond!

It was a pleasure meeting Commander Khurram Dawood and Wg Cdr Muhammad Zeeshan Ali today. I congratulated them on their historic selection as the first Pakistani astronauts to train for China’s space station missions.

This remarkable achievement… pic.twitter.com/1o45LXaHez

— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) April 23, 2026

“Pakistan and China’s friendship is ready to reach for the stars and touch the heights of the sky,” he remarked, addressing Jiang Zaidong, who also attended the meeting.

The astronaut candidates termed the opportunity to conduct research in space a unique honour and pledged to live up to the nation’s expectations.

Welcoming the premier’s remarks, Ambassador Jiang described the growing collaboration between the two countries in space research as encouraging and forward-looking.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Syed Tariq Fatemi, Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch, and SUPARCO Chairman Muhammad Yousaf Khan.

A day earlier, China announced the selection of two Pakistanis as candidates for its manned space programme. Both are set to travel to China for training, with one expected to participate in a spaceflight mission as a payload specialist, becoming the first foreign astronaut to board China’s Tiangong space station, according to China Central Television.

Meanwhile, China Daily reported that the two candidates had successfully passed multiple stages of selection and would soon undergo spaceflight training in China.

In February 2025, SUPARCO and the China Manned Space Agency signed a cooperation agreement under which two Pakistani astronauts would receive training in China, with one eventually joining a mission aboard the Tiangong space station.

Earlier this year, two astronauts were shortlisted for Pakistan’s Human Spaceflight Programme by the Astronauts Centre of China.

China has been excluded from participation in the International Space Station since 2011, after the United States barred NASA from collaborating with Chinese space entities. Since then, Beijing has expanded partnerships with countries including Pakistan as part of its growing space ambitions.