Even as Pakistan continues to be in the throes of dire economic crisis, with no reliable solution in sight, Pakistan federal minister for Science and Technology, Fawad Hussain had Twitterverse in splits with his lofty goal of sending first Pakistani national to Space by 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
Hussain posted a tweet claiming that the process of selecting the first Pakistani to space will commence in 2020 and by 2022 the first person will be sent to space. He said that by February next year, 50 people will be shortlisted, which will come down to 25 and from them one will be selected. He also hailed it as Pakistan’s biggest space event in its history.
This tweet by the Pakistani minister has obviously come in response to India’s latest space mission, the Chandrayaan-2, which was successfully launched on July 22. This is India’s second mission to moon, and the first to involve landing a rover on the earth’s only natural satellite.
While the Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is traversing around the world from one country to the other, literally and metaphorically carrying a begging bowl with him, grovelling to the respective state heads to sanction financial aids for lifting Pakistan out of the spiralling economic catastrophe, the Science and Technology Minister of Pakistan, on the other hand, is busy deluding the gullible Pakistanis into believing that their country is capable of achieving such an ambitious feat, much less being financially strong enough to pull it off.
The outrageous assertion made by Pakistani minister Fawad Hussain elicited hilarious reactions from the Twitteratis who not only mocked and ridiculed his claim but also poked fun at Pakistan’s rapidly shrinking economy and the country’s alacrity to support terrorism.
Taking a dig at Pakistan, one Twitter user dryly remarked that now Terrorists trained by ISI will go to Space.
Ab terrorists bhi Space jayenge. ??? Selected and trained by ISI and Hizbul Mujahideen.
— Shubham Hundet (@Shubhamhundet) July 25, 2019
Another Twitter user mocked Pakistan’s current state by stating that now Pakistanis will ask for money from the aliens.
Yaha koi nahi de raha toh ab Aliens se bheekh maangne bhej rahe ho.
— Gabbbar (@GabbbarSingh) July 25, 2019
Talking about the abject situation in Pakistan, one Pakistani Twitter user said that 50 is too less a number and that the entire population will apply for going to the Space.
50 to bohat kam hain yaha to sari pareshan awaam hi is kaar e khair main shirkat k liye tyar hojaigi..?
— Eng.Sana Minhaj (@sana_minhaj) July 25, 2019
One Twitter rightly pointed out the incoherencies accompanying Fawad Hussain’s statements. He said Pakistan has not been able to send a single satellite in Space but it expects the world to believe that it will send a manned mission in Space.
Never sent any rocket by yourself , don’t even have launchpads , never done any Missions regarding another celestial body but will send a Pakistani to space on China’s gaadi ?
— Bill Gates Mera Baap Hai !! (@StealYaMoney) July 25, 2019
One Pakistani ironically questioned the entire worth of the project of sending men into Space. The user questioned what would they do in Space, just watch the stars and moon and then return back?
But what will we do in space? Aisay hi bus chand sitaray dekh ker wapis aajain ge?
— Baji Please (@BajiPlease) July 25, 2019
Space expedition is a niche field that requires scientific acumen and the ability to make large investments to fund concomitant space research, both of which are not particularly Pakistanis’ forte. Pakistan, who still relies on its all-weather ally China to send its satellites to Space, to claim that they will send a manned mission in Space by 2022 is not just a wishful thinking but a delusional fantasy.
