New Delhi, April 23 -- China on Wednesday announced that it has selected two Pakistani astronauts as candidates for its manned space programme scheduled for this year, the South China Morning Post reported.

After undergoing assessments, one of the men will serve as a payload specialist on a mission along with the Chinese crew, becoming the first foreign astronaut to enter the Tiangong space station.

According to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), the two astronauts are Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud, who will travel to Beijing for their training. The two men were selected after Beijing and Islamabad signed a cooperation agreement in February 2025, allowing Pakistani astronauts to take part in missions to the Chinese space stat...