Space travel might just become a reality for Pakistan in the near future. Fawad Chaudhry, the country’s Federal Minister for Science & Technology, has just announced that Pakistan will see its first person in space as soon as 2022!
Proud to announce that selection process for the first Pakistani to be sent to Space shall begin from Feb 2020,fifty people will be shortlisted — list will then come down to 25 and in 2022 we will send our first person to space,this will be the biggest space event of our history
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) July 25, 2019
According to Fawad Chaudhry, the selection process will begin in February 2020 with 50 people, and will dwindle down over a span of two years to see one person make history by being the first Pakistani to travel into the unknown.
Simply put, people have quite a bit to say about it.
This lady is telling him to TAKE IT EASY, but in a good way
Fawad easssy! Don't give dates… first time Ministry has got high profile Minister with great ideas! But if you can…2022 should be a great year for Pak! Will be watching from the sky!
— Mariana Baabar Pashteen (@MarianaBaabar) July 25, 2019
Some people are ready to apply, including celebrities such as Fakhr-e-Alam
I would like to apply for space travel. How and where can I find the details?
— Fakhr-e-Alam (@falamb3) July 25, 2019
Shahbaz Taseer is confident he has what it takes to make it to space
I’d love to go!!! Plus my survival statistics are insane!!🙏🏻
— Shahbaz Taseer (@ShahbazTaseer) July 25, 2019
Many people are using this as a chance to make political jibes
Can we do a test by sending @MaryamNSharif first?
— Anosheh Asif Chaudry (@AnoshehChaudhry) July 25, 2019
I wish you could shortlist Fazlur Rehman, Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, Asif Zardari, Bilawal & Maryam in ur final 25 and later announce that your space missions have failed one after another.
— Nasir Khan (@KhanNasirPK) July 25, 2019
Please do consider @MaryamNSharif @MoulanaOfficial @HamidMirPAK @betterpakistan @iamthedrifter @_Mansoor_Ali @ImtiazAlamSAFMA @marvisirmed @KhawajaMAsif for a one way journey. It will be a bigger record for anyone actually traveling TO the Moon and living there.
— RAJA Imran (@enconnect_PTI) July 25, 2019
A number of people don’t really see the appeal, citing the project as a waste of both time and money
But why? What will we achieve with this? What is the benefit of spending so much ?
— Concerned Pakistani (@UsmanA1234) July 25, 2019
I'll support this when all Pakistani children have to stay in education till 16
State healthcare and welfare are provided to the poorest and homeless are housed
A civilian nuclear power system is provided
And a proper tax system is in place— razalghul (@ra2alghul) July 25, 2019
Sending people as space tourists is not an achievement but a waste of tax money with development of false sense of pride and no benefit to sci-tech capacity in #Pakistan. Develop capacity to send people using own tech from own soil. @ImranKhanPTI @Asad_Umar @1964atta @PTIofficial
— SyedFaisal (@faisalrahman36) July 25, 2019
@Shareef_Larkaa kya faida iss program ka. Is se acha banda pathan se charas lele aur space se bhi ooper chala jaye
— infosec nerd 🇵🇰 (@SultanSec) July 25, 2019
While we have no details on the selection process as yet, this is definitely something to keep an eye on! Would you travel to space for Pakistan?
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Cover image via @fawadchaudhry/ Twitter