The Phase II of the Karakoram Highway(Havelyan-Takot section), a Major Transportation Project Under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, was Officially Opened to Traffic

On July 28, 2020, the Mansehra-Takot secondary highway section of the Karakoram Highway Phase II (Hwelyan-Takot) project, a major transportation project of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, was officially opened to traffic.  This marks the official opening of the Karakoram Phase II (Hweliyang-Thakot section).

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Imran Khan appointed Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmud Khan and Chairman of the National Highway Authority to inaugurate the highway section.  Mahmoud Khan said in his address, the road will create a lot of jobs for local people, inject vitality into the province's economic development and improve local people's livelihood.  He also expressed his appreciation to the Chinese builders to thank them for sticking to their posts and completing construction tasks despite the raging epidemic.

The Mansehra to Takot secondary road is part of the Karakoram Highway Phase II (Hweliyang-Takot) project.  The Karakoram Highway is also known as China-Pakistan Friendship Highway.  It starts from Kashgar in Xinjiang Province in the east, traverses the Karakoram, Hindu Kush and Himalayan Mountains, and passes through Khunjrab Pass, a border crossing point between China and Pakistan, to the northern Pakistani town of Takot.  The phase II of the Karakoram Highway aims to upgrade the highway.  The Hweliyang-Takot section is one of its three tasks.  It took 3.5 years to construct, with a total length of 118 km.  It adopted Chinese standards and was built by China Communications Construction.

Since March this year, the COVID-19 epidemic has continued to spread in Pakistan, inflicting a severe impact on the country's economic and social development.  On this background, China has made overall plans coordinated the prevention and control of the epidemic and the construction of the project.  On the premise of ensuring zero infection for the more than 1,500 Chinese and Pakistani employees,  China has overcome the adverse impact of the epidemic, such as the shortage of personnel and the shortage of equipment and materials, and made every effort to overcome the difficulties, successfully completing the project on schedule and opening the entire line to traffic.  All walks of life in Pakistan are highly affirmed the operation of the project.

The project attaches great importance to the fulfillment of corporate social responsibility, there were more than 8,000 Pakistani employees at the peak of the construction period, accounting for more than 80% of all employees in China and Pakistan, making outstanding contribution to the employment of local residents.  At the same time, the project pays close attention to the follow-up development of employees and has trained a large number of Pakistani technicians, which not only effectively improves the vocational skills of local residents, but also provides a good talent reserve for the normal follow-up operation of the project.