ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday congratulated the two Pakistani astronaut candidates selected for China’s manned space programme, expressing hope that the voyage will “usher in a new era of space research in Pakistan”.

In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said that he met the two candidates — Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud — at the Prime Minister’s House.

The premier congratulated the two, stating that the space mission was a “matter of pride for the entire nation”. He further commended their “round-the-clock efforts” in achieving the milestone.

PM Shehbaz hoped that the space mission would “add new dimensions to the brotherly relationship between Pakistan and China”.

Also present at the meeting was Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong. The premier, in conversation with him, welcomed the development.

The prime minister told the Chinese ambassador that Pakistan and China’s friendship was “ready to reach for the stars and touch the heights of the sky”.

“Performing research duties in space for Pakistan is a source of honour, a unique privilege, and a matter of pride,” the PMO cited the astronaut candidates as saying, adding that the two hoped to “make every possible effort to live up to the nation’s hopes”.

Later, PM Shehbaz posted on X about his meeting with Ali and Daud, stating: “Off to space and beyond!”

He said it was a pleasure meeting the two of them, and he congratulated them on their “historic selection as the first Pakistani astronauts to train for China’s space station missions”.

“This remarkable achievement reflects the immense talent of our people and the growing strength of Pakistan–China cooperation in space technology. I wished them great success as they embark on this inspiring journey, carrying the hopes and aspirations of the entire nation,” the PM said.

A day earlier, China announced that it had selected two Pakistanis as candidates for its manned space programme.

Both will travel to China for training, and one of them will participate in a space flight mission as a payload specialist, according to CCTV, becoming the first foreign astronaut to board China’s space station.

China Daily reported that Zeeshan and Daud had passed multiple rounds of selection procedures and would soon visit China to take part in spaceflight training.

In February 2025, Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission and China Manned Space Agency signed a cooperation agreement. Under the pact, two Pakistanis were to train in China, with one joining a mission on the Tiangong space station operated by Beijing.

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

China has been barred from particip­ating in the International Space Station since 2011, when the US prohibited Nasa from collaborating with Chinese space agencies. Since then, Beijing has sought to build partnerships with other countries — including Pakistan — in its expanding space programme.