On June 9, Pakistan joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a move that China is happy to see. Pakistan and China have been enjoying good relations for a long time, and the friendship between the two countries can date back decades.

The Karakoram highway (KKH) is a major engineering project in Pakistan, built with Chinese assistance. The highway was constructed in two phases, from 1966 to 1978, and is 613 kilometers long. Hundreds of Chinese and Pakistani workers died during the construction of the mega project.

Chinese memorial graveyard for those who lost their lives in construction of the Karakoram highway/CGTN Screen

Ali Ahmad Jan, 79 years old, has been the caretaker of the Chinese memorial graveyard for the last 40 years, since it was built in 1978.

"When the relatives of the departed engineers come to pay their respects, they tell me that they have put pictures of both me and their deceased loved one on the walls of their homes. they say, we come here once in many years, but you are always with them, taking care of their graves, they tell me that I'm no less than a father to them,” said Ali.

Many Chinese have contributed a lot, even their lives to the  Karakoram highway/VCG Photo

China's contributions to the KKH is astonishing. As CGTN’s Danial Khan put it: "110 Chinese engineers perished during the construction of the Karakoram highway, 88 of those now rest peacefully in this graveyard, and these 22 graves lie empty in the memory of those who could not be found.”

Engineers and builders from both China and Pakistan faced tremendous hardships and dangers posed by ice peaks and killer mountains of the Karakoram range. The KKH has become a reminder of friendship and mutual cooperation between China and Pakistan.