Uzair bin Farid

All Pakistan Chinese Enterprises Association (APCEA) hosted a delegation of Chinese engineers and workers to commemorate the workers who lost their lives during the construction of Karakoram Highway from 1959 to 1979. The delegation was hosted at the Islamabad office of the APCEA where the stories of the workers who took part in the construction of the Karakoram Highway were shared to honour them. In conversation with WealthPK, the members of the delegation expressed delight on the ongoing development projects in Pakistan under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). They said that they had visited the cemetery in Gilgit where the workers were buried and that they were delighted to see that the graves of the Chinese workers were kept clean and in order. They said they were pleased to see that the lives lost during the construction of 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 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 40 years and that they found Pakistan more hospitable and friendlier than before. The delegation also presented a book to the media which recounted the stories of all the workers who took part in the construction of the highway. The book records interviews of the workers who came to Pakistan back 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 that we will arrange a photo exhibition next year on the 45th anniversary of the completion of Karakoram Highway in which we will showcase the pictures of workers from that time who took part in building the highway,” they said.

The delegation earlier visited the China Yadgar (commemorative) to commemorate those who lost their lives during the construction work on the highway. The delegation comprised of 15 engineers and workers who worked in the construction of the highway in addition to the family members of those who lost their lives. The APCEA is one of the foremost organisations working to increase collaboration between Chinese and Pakistani companies. It was instrumental in the disbursement of millions of rupees to the people affected from floods late last year. It 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 gave their lives in service of the two brotherly nations is not lost and is carried forward to the future generations.

Credit: INP-WealthPk