ISLAMABAD: Namira Salim, who became the first Pakistani woman astronaut to travel into space last year, on Saturday expressed regret for not receiving any official recognition for the journey, saying it was a “larger than life accomplishment” and didn’t come without a “serious risk” to her life.
Salim traveled into space in October last year aboard Virgin Galactic’s fifth successful flight, according to the US company. The adventurer, who previously traveled to both North and South poles and has also parachuted over Mount Everest, was among the first customers to buy a ticket with billionaire Richard Branson’s space company after it was founded almost two decades ago.
Salim said she invested her own resources in her spaceflight ticket, which cost her $200,000 in 2006. For her space mission, she said she had traveled to the US and Europe from 2006 to 2023 and attended all milestone events in the process during which they built a fleet of motherships and spaceships.
While Pakistani sports and entertainment industry figures have been conferred with civilian awards at special investiture ceremonies in recent years, no ceremony has been organized to highlight Salim’s challenging, high-risk and self-funded space flight, in which she passionately invested 18 years of her time and resources.
“I must confess with a very heavy heart that my previous civil award nomination in early 2023 before my space flight for services renderred to Pakistan’s space sector and SUPARCO [Pakistan’s Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission] was sadly blocked by the concerned individual at the Ministry of Science and Technology despite the highest recommendations and support,” she said in a statement.
“Therefore, my civil award nomination was not approved due to this bureaucratic hurdle. My civil award application was obviously merit based.”
Salim said Pakistan’s space sector needed to be more highlighted and promoted.
She appreciated that on the recommendation of former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, President Asif Ali Zardari had conferred her with the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz civilian award in 2011 for her polar expeditions as first Pakistani at the North Pole in 2007 and at the South Pole in 2008 and for her skydive over Mount Everest during the historic First Everest Skydive 2008.
Salim said she merited official recognition for being the first Pakistani astronaut and for her tireless efforts in glorifying the name of Pakistan globally.
First Pakistani woman astronaut seeks official recognition for her space journey
https://arab.news/msxwx
First Pakistani woman astronaut seeks official recognition for her space journey
- Namira Salim traveled into space in October last year aboard Virgin Galactic’s fifth successful flight
- She previously traveled to both North and South poles and has also parachuted over Mount Everest
Pakistan reviews austerity measures amid Middle East crisis, urges strict nationwide implementation
- Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar chairs review meeting of austerity steps
- Officials briefed on salary cuts, school closures, four‑day week, petrol conservation
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government on Wednesday assessed progress on a sweeping set of austerity measures introduced to mitigate the country’s economic strain from sharply rising global oil prices and supply disruptions linked to the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif this week announced a series of austerity steps, including a four‑day work week for government offices, requiring 50 percent of staff to work from home, cutting fuel allowances for official vehicles by half, grounding up to 60 percent of the government fleet and closing all schools for two weeks to conserve fuel amid the global oil crisis.
The measures were unveiled in response to global oil market volatility triggered by the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which has disrupted supply routes such as the Strait of Hormuz and pushed crude prices sharply higher, straining Pakistan’s heavily import‑dependent energy sector.
“The meeting stressed the importance of strict and transparent adherence to the austerity measures, promoting fiscal responsibility and prudent use of public resources,” Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar said in a statement.
He was chairing a meeting of the Committee for Monitoring and Implementation of Conservation and Additional Austerity Measures, constituted under the directions of the PM, bringing together federal and provincial officials to review execution of the broad cost‑cutting plan.
Dar emphasized the government’s commitment to enforcing the PM’s austerity steps nationwide. The committee’s review also covered reductions in departmental expenditure, deductions from salaries of senior officials earning over Rs. 300,000 ($1,120), and coordination with provincial administrations to ensure uniform implementation of the plan.
Participants at the meeting reiterated that all ministries and divisions must continue strict monitoring and reporting, with transparent oversight mechanisms, as Pakistan navigates the economic pressures from the prolonged Middle East crisis and its fallout on global energy and trade markets.
