by Yuan Xiaona

 

Mansehra-Thakot, a Class II Highway section, opens to traffic in July 28, 2020. The road is a part of the 118-kilometer-long Havelian-Thakot of Karakorum Highway (KKH) Phase II, which is an early harvest project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. [Photo provided to Gwadar Pro]    

 

PESHAWAR, July 29 (Gwadar Pro) – The whole line of Havelian-Thakot of the Karakoram Highway Phase II (KKH) under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) opens to traffic, with an opening ceremony of its Class II Highway section, Mansehra-Thakot, held on Tuesday. 

 

   

At the inaugural ceremony, Mahmood Khan, Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said, “This mega road project has been completed under CPEC initiatives, which would prove to be the backbone of the country’s economy and provide employment opportunities to a large portion of the population.”

  

The 79-kilometer-long Class II Highway Mansehra-Thakot and the Havelian-Mansehra expressway section, launched in November 2019, form the 118 kilometers Havelian-Thakot. 

 

Karakoram Highway, the only overland connection between China and Pakistan at present, was built with fund from China during 1966-1978.

The first phase of KKH’s renovation and expansion project had been completed in 2013. In 2014, the memorandum on the second phase of KKH was signed between Pakistan and China.

  

The KKH II has three sections, namely, Havelian-Thakot, Havelian-Islamabad and Thakot-Raikot.