Chapter 1142: The road is in the hearts of people

"For well-known reasons, I am indeed concerned about the Soviet Union and Afkhan issues for a long time." Tan Zhenhua said frankly, and his frankness also dispelled Cong Zia. A flash of suspicion in Huck and Mahamud's hearts-they all know that when it comes to facing Soviet Russia's aggressive momentum, who has the greatest pressure, it is probably not China on this planet.
At Tan Zhenhua's age, this heavy pressure, I am afraid, has been running through from birth to the present.
"So can we think that when Soviet Russia withdraws from Afkhan, we can start the construction plan of Gwadar Port?" Mahmoud was already a little impatient.
Tan Zhenhua nodded and said: "Generally speaking, I do mean this. Of course, it also depends on your preparations. For example, when the situation on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan stabilizes, how much power can you mobilize to maintain The good security situation in the Dar area, and most importantly, can it provide a safe, good and efficient logistics route for cargo loading and unloading at Gwadar Port."
"Logistics transit route? Where does it lead?" Zia. Huck frowned and asked.
"It runs through the Pakistan Railway from the north to the south and leads to China." Tan Zhenhua said: "In my vision, it is best to build a heavy-duty railway from Gwadar Port in the south to China Kashgar in the north. If possible, I even hope to lay it. An oil and natural gas pipeline parallel to it."
"Hi... Eric, your heart is too big!" Mahmoud couldn't help but whispered.
And Zia. Huck did not speak immediately after frowning slightly. Instead, he stood up, walked to the huge map of Pakistani country that occupied a whole wall in the office, stared at it and fell into contemplation.
No one spoke in the office for a while, and the atmosphere seemed a bit subtle.
For a long time, Zia. Huck turned around and asked: "Mr. Eric, whether it is to build Gwadar Port or to build this railway, the amount of money to be spent is probably a huge amount. You must know the economic capacity of our Pakistan Railway. A lot of money, I'm afraid..."
"I'm afraid it's not enough to fill in all of Batie and my current net worth." Tan Zhenhua said bluntly.
At the same time, he got up, walked to the huge map, and gestured: "Look, Mr. President, the railway under my plan is about 3000 kilometers long. The most difficult part is here." He pointed his finger to the Huaba border and said: "You need to cross here, the Karakoram. The Karakoram is the second highest mountain in the world, second only to the Himalayas, with a width of about 240 kilometers and a length of 800 kilometers. The average altitude is more than 5,500 meters. Must remember the difficult time when the Karakoram Highway connecting China and Pakistan Railway was built, Mr. President? This 1032-kilometer highway started in 1966 and was completed in 1978. It took 13 years to renovate. , And in order to repair this road, our China Road Construction Corps alone had more than two hundred soldiers sacrificed."
Follow the direction of Tan Zhenhua’s fingers, Ziya. Huck saw the road winding through the Karakoram Mountains and nodded silently.
Of course he knows this history.
Karakoram Highway, also known as "Hua-Pak Friendship Highway".
It starts from Kashgar in the north, passes through Shufu, Upa, Tuohai, Blunkou, Taxkorgan, Dabuda, Khunjerab, Shuibulanggou, and crosses the Karakoram Mountains and enters Kashmir Ba The railway-controlled area passes through Baltit, Gilgit, Zilas, Bataan, and Bisham to reach the northern city of Takot, which is the main transportation route from the northern part of the Pakistan Railway to the capital Islamabad and the southern coastal areas. It is also the only land route from China to Pakistan Railway and the southern port of Karachi, the South Asian subcontinent, and the Middle East. It has important strategic and military significance.
The total length of the highway is 1032 kilometers, including 416 kilometers in China and 616 kilometers in Pakistan Railway. It is the highest cross-border road in the world. The lowest point is Takot at 460 meters and the highest point is Hong Qila at 4733 meters. At Fushan Pass, the Karakoram Highway winds down along the Khunjerab River, Hongza River, Gilgit River and Indus River, and crosses the Indus River three times, during which it crosses the Karakoram Mountains, the Hindu Kush Mountains, The Pamirs and the western end of the Himalayas have extremely complex geological conditions. Geological disasters such as avalanches, landslides, rock falls, landslides, snow, ice, and earthquakes often occur. The difficulty of building roads in such places can be imagined.
In 1965, when the Second India-Pakistan War came to an end, the Pakistan Railway proposed to the Chinese government the idea of ​​building this highway. Its main purpose was nothing more than to provide a way for China to provide various supplies and large-scale military equipment to the Pakistan Railway. Safe, convenient and reliable channel. Out of strategic considerations, China has actively responded to this idea. In 1966, workers of the two countries made the first shot in the Pamirs.
After more than ten years of hard work by tens of thousands of soldiers from the road construction corps of the two countries, on June 18, 1978, this road condensing the friendship between China and Pakistan, allowing the two countries to be connected by blood from then on, opened to traffic. Become a symbol of friendship between China and Pakistan.
This is a road known as the
miracle of the history of road construction in the world
. There are 24 main bridges, 70 small bridges, more than 1,700 culverts, and 8,000 tons of explosives. 10,000 tons of cement, transporting 30 million cubic meters of earth and rock, regardless of whether it is in China or Pakistan Railway, the most difficult section of the road construction is all built by China, and most of the funds for the road construction are also borne by China Look at the time period for the construction of this highway to know how much effort China had made at that time.
Zia. Huck still clearly remembers that on the day when the traffic was opened, he visited the site in person and participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The first item on the day was to pay the 203 soldiers and 810 soldiers of the Chinese Road Construction Corps who sacrificed for the construction of this road ( One said more than 500 people) The Pakistani railway construction workers observed silent.
It was on that day that a volunteer from Pakistan Railroad applied to him. He still remembered his name-Ali Madad. He volunteered to stay in Gilgit, a small town in Pakistan Railroad. Here are 88 Chinese heroes in the Martyrs Cemetery.
The price paid is great, but Zia. Huck knew that for the national security of the Pakistani railway, this highway played a huge role, and it could not be overstated in any case.
The Karakoram Highway is not only the transportation link in the northern part of Pakistan Railway, but also the transportation route to the capital Islamabad and the southern coastal areas. It is also an important part of Asia, especially Central Asia, and the traffic throat connecting China and the South Asian subcontinent. , Is also the Dinghai Shenzhen to stabilize Pakistani Railways' own control of Kashmir.
From the perspective of national security, this road is undoubtedly a strategic level.
However, at this time, Tan Zhenhua chose this opportunity to point out this highway. As the president of Pakistan Railway, Ziya. Huck knew that what he really meant to tell himself was that roads can be built even in difficult places, but roads must first be built in people's hearts.
...
PS: Ali Madd, a historical figure.
He was originally a Pakistani migrant worker who participated in the construction of the "China-Pakistan Friendship Highway". He witnessed the Chinese wind drill workers risking their lives to hang on the cliffs to blast holes; he saw the blasters died in the accident and their bones fell into the cliffs. Unable to salvage; saw the driver being swept away by the sudden flash flood; saw the medical team of the road construction corps going to the villages in their spare time to treat the diseases of the Pakistani people who lacked medicine and medicine, and save the lives of local people After being deeply moved, he had the idea of ​​doing something for Chinese friends.
In 1976, the 22-year-old Ali Madad voluntarily proposed to the local government the idea of ​​voluntarily guarding the Chinese Martyrs Cemetery. This work lasted more than 40 years.
Under his voluntary guardianship, this Chinese martyrs cemetery in Gilgit, Pakistan has been transformed from a deserted beach with no spring grass to a resting place for heroes surrounded by greenery and grass.
In 2015, the Chinese government awarded the "Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence Friendship Award" to the already gray-haired Ali Madad.