As China and Pakistan mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, a commemorative event titled "Mountains and Rivers as Witness, passing on the Light" was held at the Chinese Martyrs' Cemetery in Gilgit, Pakistan, China Economic Net reported.

The ceremony, held on the occasion of China's traditional Qingming Festival, a day dedicated to honoring ancestors and remembering the departed, paid tribute to the enduring ironclad friendship between the two nations forged through decades of shared sacrifice and mutual support.

The Chinese Martyrs Cemetery in Gilgit, also known as the China Memorial Cemetery, is located in Danyor, approximately ten kilometers from Gilgit city across the Gilgit River.

Established in the early 1970s and officially completed in 1978, the cemetery serves as the final resting place for 88 Chinese engineers and workers and engineers who lost their lives during the construction of the Karakoram Highway (KKH) between 1966 and 1979.

During the event hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan, a five-minute commemorative short film, "Echoes of the Karakorum," was screened.

Centering on the construction of the Karakoram Highway and continuing with a Chinese language lesson, the film showcased the arduous journey and unwavering dedication of Chinese aid workers in Pakistan.

Veteran Tian Niansheng, who participated in the construction of the Karakoram Highway, movingly recounted the difficult years of building the highway, sharing touching stories of Chinese and Pakistani builders working side by side and helping each other.

Ali Ahmed, the elderly tomb keeper of the Chinese Martyrs Cemetery, slowly approached the martyrs' tombstones, "I am not guarding a cemetery," he said, "but the souls of my Chinese brothers."

Ali Ahmed began voluntarily guarding the cemetery nearly five decades ago.

A recipient of the "Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence Friendship Award" from the Chinese government, he once said he would keep guarding "until I can no longer do it," and expressed hope that his son would continue the duty. Today, that legacy of devotion lives on.

Students from the Chinese Language Classroom of the Pakistan Chinese Education Association performed a poetry recitation of "Nostalgia" by the renowned Chinese poet Yu Guangzhong.

Manzoor Hussain, a son of the late Madad Ali who dedicated his life to guarding the Chinese graveyard in Gilgit and has now taken over this decades‑long family mission, joined representatives from the China-Pakistan Youth Exchange Community, teachers and students of the Pakistan Chinese Education Association, road‑construction veterans and their families, caretakers of the martyrs' cemetery, and delegates from the Overseas Chinese Association Gilgit‑Baltistan at the event.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP) — Pak-China