TRAVEL: WELCOME TO PAKISTAN
For China, Pakistan’s friendship is higher than the Himalayas and deeper than the seas. But for Pakistanis, the 1,300km-long China-Pakistan Friendship Highway is a one-way thoroughfare.
Such was the sentiment when the Silk Road expedition team entered Pakistan through the world’s highest mountain pass after nearly a month-long stay in China. “It’s as though the road is a one-way street from China; there is no way back,” says K.M. Ali, making a jibe at China’s strict security conduct and treatment of Pakistanis in contrast to Pakistan’s increasing obsession with the Silk Road’s revival — the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Entering Pakistan, the southern arm of the ancient Silk Road is a consistent reminder that the CPEC is changing life along its path as it is being built, he adds. With travel signboards being translated into Mandarin, starting from the checkpost at Sust and huge billboards along the highway that read “Long Live Pak-China Friendship”, one cannot escape the impact of the CPEC at this side of the border.
In the concluding episode of the series about traversing the historic Silk Route, the group of explorers finally enter the Pakistan side
Along the Karakoram Highway (KKH), trucks and tractors loaded to the brim with hay and construction material are a frequent sight, boasting the rapid development in the region.