Pakistani astronaut to enter Chinese space station

A Pakistani astronaut will fly to the Chinese space station, with the two countries signing a cooperation agreement in Islamabad, Pakistan on Friday.

The agreement was signed between the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) and the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO).

Under the agreement, the Chinese government will select and train a group of Pakistani astronauts, with one of them becoming the first foreign astronaut to enter the Chinese space station.

The selection process will last about a year, and the Pakistani astronauts will join a comprehensive and systematic training camp in China. They will then carry out short-term flight missions in batches together with their Chinese counterparts in the space station in the next few years.

In the presence of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the agreement was signed by Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA and Muhammad Yousuf Khan, chairman of the SUPARCO at the Prime Minister's House.

"It is a landmark milestone in the history of the Pakistan space program, and I see the human space flight program of China nowadays is at the top. So this program, this cooperation agreement is very important for Pakistan," said the SUPARCO chairman.

"Pakistan will select and train its first astronaut, while China will take the first step in selecting and training foreign astronauts and participating in space station missions. China and Pakistan will continue to strengthen their traditional friendship in the vast expanse of space," said Lin.

Chinese astronaut Ye Guangfu, the current Chinese record holder for longest spaceflight duration, also attended the signing ceremony. He said he could feel the passion of the Pakistani people for the advancement of space research and the advancement of relations between the two countries.

"We can feel that Pakistan is very sincere and enthusiastic, and they have high expectations for cooperation between China and Pakistan in the field of manned spaceflight," said Ye.

Pakistani astronaut to enter Chinese space station

Pakistani astronaut to enter Chinese space station

Recent flashfloods and mudslides in eastern Afghanistan have devastated the homes of local residents who returned from refugee camps in neighboring Pakistan, worsening their already difficult living conditions.

A family of 10 who recently returned from Pakistan found themselves once again facing hardship. Their homes and belongings were swept away when flash floods tore through their village, forcing them to move into makeshift shelters.

After decades in Pakistan, the family, along with other Afghan refugees, had just finished living in cramped brick shelters and returned to their ancestral homeland. Only a month after setting up their tents, a sudden flash flood struck in the middle of the night.

"The flood surged down from the upper part of the village, forcing us to flee in darkness. It was a devastating torrent—we managed to save our children, but all our belongings were swept away," said Bahram Jan from the returned family.

Unpredictable weather in eastern Afghanistan makes rebuilding especially difficult. For this family, limited financial resources make constructing a proper house on their land even more challenging.

"We spent nearly 45 years in Pakistan as refugees. After returning to our homeland, we are now struck by such disasters, leaving everything in ruins. While we are grateful to be back in our country, we urgently appeal for proper housing to be built for us here,” said Jan.

Bahram's son, Esmatullah, had tried to support the family with a small roadside shop, but floodwaters wiped out much of his inventory, dealing another blow to the family.

"The flood swept away all the materials in my shop, and I struggled to replace them. It was so severe that we could not protect anything," said the boy.

Eastern Afghanistan flashfloods destroy homes of returned refugees