Former Pakistani Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar has hailed the deepening cooperation between China and Pakistan in space exploration, saying the two countries' long-standing friendship and mutual trust are poised to extend from the Earth into space.
In an interview with the China Media Group (CMG) during a recent visit to China, Kakar highlighted the vast opportunities which have emerged following a cooperation agreement signed between the two governments in February, which will see Pakistani astronauts trained to take part in future space missions.
The deal marks the first time China will train foreign astronauts, paving the way for the arrival of the first foreign visitor to China's Tiangong space station.
Following the agreement, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced in April that it would select and train two Pakistani astronauts, with one slated to serve as a payload specialist on a future Chinese space station flight.
Kakar said the decision reflects the high level of strategic mutual trust between the two sides and demonstrates that bilateral cooperation has entered a new stage featuring broader scope and deeper engagement.
"We are electrified, we are super excited, this journey from the planet to space, from planet Earth to space is an amazing journey of partnership, of friendship, of reliability, of trustworthiness towards one another. The people, the nation, the countries who can trust one another on the planet would be trusting each other in space. That could be an amazing moment. And all of the Pakistani nation is really looking forward for that moment and we are super excited," said Kakar.
Earlier this year, China also granted Pakistani scientists with access to lunar samples collected by the country's Chang'e-5 mission, further highlighting the collaboration in space and scientific research.
China has been deepening its role in international space research and cooperation in recent years, partnering with over 60 other institutions and 17 other nations to advance lunar and deep space exploration.
Friendship with China to extend "from Earth to space": former Pakistani PM
The United States and Iran carried out fresh strikes on each other's targets, as tensions around the Strait of Hormuz escalated after the U.S. accused Iran of attacking commercial shipping and Iran said it was responding to recent U.S. "aggression".
Iranian state television reported early Sunday local time that several explosions were heard in the Sirik area of Hormozgan Province in southern Iran. It also said Qeshm Island and areas near Bandar Lengeh, both in southern Iran, had come under attack.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Saturday afternoon U.S. time that American forces had launched a new round of strikes on multiple targets inside Iran. It said the operation came after Iranian forces launched an attack drone early Saturday that hit an oil tanker sailing near the Strait of Hormuz.
CENTCOM said the U.S. strikes targeted 10 Iranian military sites in and around the strait, including surveillance facilities, communications systems, air defense positions, drone storage facilities and mine-laying equipment. It called the operation a direct response to what it described as Iran's continued actions against commercial shipping.
Shortly afterward, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its naval and air forces had used missiles and drones to strike eight key U.S. military facilities at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait and the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.
The IRGC said the strikes were a decisive response to recent U.S. "aggression," accusing the U.S. of repeatedly breaking its commitments and using the IRGC Navy's "interception of a violating vessel" as a pretext to attack five Iranian coastal outposts.
In a separate statement, the IRGC Navy said U.S. strikes on the Sirik area would not change Iran's control over the Strait of Hormuz. It said Iran's warning shots at "violating" vessels were intended to remind ships to follow designated routes through the waterway.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday also accused Iran of again violating the ceasefire agreement in a social media post.
The latest exchange of fire followed U.S. strikes on Iran on Friday, which CENTCOM said were launched in response to an Iranian drone attack on a commercial vessel passing through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday.
Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned the U.S. airstrikes, saying they violated a memorandum of understanding between the two sides and that Iran would defend its sovereignty and security under international law.
US, Iran trade strikes again as tensions flare around Hormuz
