Witness History artwork

Karakoram Highway

Witness History

English - June 08, 2016 09:51 - 9 minutes - 4.14 MB - ★★★★★ - 853 ratings
History Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed


In 1979 one of the great engineering feats of the 20th Century was completed and the Karakoram highway between Pakistan and China was finally opened to the public. The highway, also known as the Friendship Highway in China, was started in 1959. Due to its high elevation and the difficult conditions under which it was constructed, it is also sometimes referred to as the "Eighth Wonder of the World". Witness has been speaking to Major General Parvez Akmal who worked on the construction and maintenance of the highway.

(Photo: The majestic Karakorams on the border of Pakistan and China. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)