ISLAMABAD, Aug. 16 (INP): A 41-member Chinese delegation visited China Yadgar to commemorate the dedication and valor of those who lost their lives during the construction of Karakorum Highway (KKH) from 1959 to 1979.
The delegation also included 15 engineers and workers who physically participated in the construction of the KKH, besides their family members.
It was hosted by the Islamabad office of the All-Pakistan Chinese Enterprise Association (APCEA).
At a press conference here on Wednesday, the members of the delegation expressed their delight on the ongoing development works in Pakistan under the rubric of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
They said that they had visited the cemetery in Gilgit where the martyrs of the Karakoram Highway were buried and that they were very delighted to see that the graves of the Chinese martyrs were kept clean and in order.
They said that they were very glad to see that the lives lost during the construction of the Karakoram Highway were not in vain and that the highway proved to be a vital link between the peoples of China and Pakistan.
The members of the delegation also expressed their heartfelt appreciation on the welcome that they were accorded in Gilgit by the office of the Chief Minister.
They said that they felt like coming back home after forty years and that they found Pakistan more hospitable and friendlier as before.
The delegation also presented a book to the media which recounted the stories of all the workers who had taken part in the construction of the highway.
The book records interviews of the workers who came to Pakistan back in the day and worked shoulder to shoulder with the Pakistani workers in the construction of the Highway.
The delegation expressed hope that cooperation between the two brotherly countries of China and Pakistan will be carried forward by the future generations.
They said that Chinese people still felt the pain of the lives lost during the construction of the highway on both sides.
This is the reason,’ they said, ‘that we will arrange a photo exhibition next year on the 45th anniversary of the completion of the Karakoram Highway in which we will showcase the pictures of workers from that time who took part in building the highway.’
They said that Chinese cooperation with Pakistan will continue in future in line with the teachings of Chairman Mao who said that ‘one should give freely in charity and help others without making it public and keeping it a secret.’
The delegation had earlier visited the China Yadgar (commemorative) to commemorate the memory of those who had lost their lives during the construction work on the highway.
The delegation comprised of 15 engineer and workers who had actually worked in the construction of the highway in addition to the family members of those who had lost their lives.
APCEA is one of the foremost organizations that is working to increase collaboration between Chinese and Pakistani companies.
It was instrumental in the disbursement of million of rupees to the people affected from floods late last year.
It had also worked tirelessly during the Covid-19 pandemic to make sure that protective equipment reaches the nursing and medical staff working in hospitals across the country.
It was the extension of the same cooperative stream that the APCEA hosted the Chinese delegation to make sure that the memory of those who had given their lives in service of the two brotherly nations is not lost and is carried forward to the future generations.
