Pakistan seeks joint ventures in renewable energy with Kyrgyztan

PESHAWAR: Overnight clashes between Pakistani and Afghan security forces at the main border crossing between the countries caused thousands of people to flee their homes but the situation had calmed down by Tuesday morning, residents and officials said.

The conflict started on Monday, the first working day of Ramadan, when food imports from Pakistan usually peak in Afghanistan.

Around 15,000 local residents fled to Landi Kotal due to the clashes, an official said. Afghan border guards had opened fire without warning, targeting government buildings and civilians, and causing widespread panic.

“The tensions between the two countries and continuous closure of the border has been causing multiple problems to the people of the border area. People are very poor and dependent on their businesses related to the border,” Ali Shinwari, who lives in the border town, told Reuters.

Relatives and tribesmen in a nearby town have been hosting dozens of relatives since the border closure, he added.

The Torkham crossing has been shut since February 21 due to a dispute over the construction of a border-area outpost by Afghanistan, Pakistani officials said on condition of anonymity.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for a comment.

The Taliban-run Afghan Interior Ministry said on Monday one Taliban fighter was killed and two injured, while Pakistani security officials reported that members of their forces had also been wounded.

The Torkham crossing is the main transit artery for travelers and goods between Pakistan and landlocked Afghanistan. Trade between the countries was worth over $1.6 billion in 2024, according to Pakistan’s foreign office.

The closure has stranded 5,000 trucks filled with essential goods and caused at least $15 million in losses, said Yousaf Afridi, president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industries for Pakistan’s Khyber district where the Torkham crossing is located.

ISLAMABAD: China is prepared to strengthen space cooperation with Pakistan, its embassy in Islamabad said on Tuesday, quoting Chinese Foreign Spokesperson Lin Jian, who highlighted a day earlier a Pakistani astronaut would soon join the Chinese space station successfully.
Pakistan’s space agency signed a cooperation agreement with China last week, paving the way for the country’s first astronaut to embark on a mission to the Chinese space station, Tiangong.
According to Pakistan’s Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), the Pakistani astronaut will be trained as a scientific payload specialist to conduct research aboard the station.
The mission will focus on scientific experiments across disciplines, including biological and medical sciences, aerospace, applied physics, fluid mechanics, space radiation, ecology, material sciences, microgravity studies and astronomy.
“China is ready to work with Pakistan to elevate our space cooperation to a new level and give a stronger boost to the socioeconomic development of the two countries through space technologies,” Lin Jian said, according to a social media post by the Chinese embassy.
Lin told reporters on Monday exploring the universe had always been humanity’s shared aspiration.
“We are glad to see the signing of a space cooperation agreement between China and Pakistan,” he said. “We hope the Pakistani astronaut’s entry into the Chinese space station will be a full success.”
He added that since the launch of China’s manned space engineering program, Beijing had followed principles of peaceful use, equality, mutual benefit and common development.
“We focus on sharing with all humanity the results of China’s development and offer opportunities of cooperation in China’s space station,” he said, noting Beijing was open to further collaboration with other countries.
Pakistan and China have deepened their space partnership in recent years, marked by joint satellite development and a planned lunar mission. In January, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding for Pakistan’s first lunar rover to be included in China’s Chang’e 8 mission in 2028.
The rover, developed by SUPARCO, will land at the lunar south pole, carrying scientific instruments designed by Pakistani, Chinese and European scientists. Pakistani scientists will operate the rover from Earth, conducting surface mapping, soil analysis and radiation studies.
Pakistan previously participated in lunar exploration in 2024, when its first lunar satellite, ICUBE-Q, developed by students at the Institute of Space Technology (IST) in collaboration with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, was deployed aboard China’s Chang’e 6 mission to capture lunar images and collect magnetic field data.