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mushahid hussain is the chairman of the pakistan-china society, former chairman of the pakistan senate defense committee, head of pakistan's "friends of the silk road" club, and winner of the five principles of peaceful coexistence friendship award. his fate with china began with a meaningful birthday gift.on his fifteenth birthday, his father gave him a shortwave radio. through this radio, mushahid was "contacted" with the "voice of china" for the first time.mushahid recalled: "at that time, i listened to beijing radio through a shortwave radio." it was the content of the broadcast that made him curious about china's development.

first meeting on the radio: the beginning of fate

the "chinese voice" coming from the radio made mushahid increasingly interested in china. later, mushahid also subscribed to the english versions of chinese publications such as "beijing weekly", "china pictorial" and "china construction".

in addition, mushahid and his friends set up a "radio beijing listeners club". members regularly gathered to discuss china's development in english and urdu, used wax paper printing machines to make briefings, and established contact with radio beijing through letters. mushahid recalled that many things, including materials, sent to him by radio beijing made him deeply feel the friendship and enthusiasm from china.

a journey across time and space: my first visit to china

in 1970, mushahid was invited by the china people's association for friendship with foreign countries and beijing radio to visit chinese soil for the first time.in the years that followed, mushahid visited china many times in various capacities, from a young student to the leader of a youth friendship association, from a university professor to a journalist, and then to the minister of information, the head of a think tank, and a member of parliament. these experiences also allowed him to witness china's rapid development.

the bond of friendship: pakistani chinese society

mushahid has been committed to promoting the continuous development of china-pakistan relations.in 2009, the pakistan-china institute was established. under the leadership of mushahid, the pakistan-china institute has become an important bridge for china-pakistan relations, promoting in-depth cooperation and exchanges between the two countries in many fields. as the only publishing organization in pakistan authorized to translate "xi jinping: the governance of china", the pakistan-china institute has undertaken the important task of translating the book into urdu. in addition, the pakistan-china institute has also launched the "young leaders program", offering chinese courses for pakistanis and inviting outstanding young people in various fields in pakistan to visit china and experience chinese society and culture firsthand. through learning and exchanges in china, these young people have gained valuable perspectives and experience, laying a solid foundation for future china-pakistan cooperation. mushahid proudly stated that many participants have achieved remarkable achievements after returning home, and some have even become members of parliament and ministers.

mushahid also actively promoted academic and cultural exchanges between china and pakistan.he founded the magazine "friends of neighborhood", which introduces chinese culture, cooking, business, tourism and other aspects in the form of original articles. the magazine has nearly 200,000 readers per month, effectively enhancing mutual understanding between the peoples of the two countries and becoming an indispensable cultural bond between china and pakistan.

in 2015, during chinese president xi jinping's visit to pakistan, mushahid was awarded the "five principles of peaceful coexistence friendship award" by president xi jinping in person in recognition of his efforts and achievements in promoting china-pakistan friendship over the years. speaking of this honor, mushahid said that this is not only a recognition of the individual, but also an affirmation of china-pakistan friendship.

in december 2022, mushahid also won the first "silk road award" for international communication awarded by the people's daily in recognition of his special contribution to the joint construction of the "belt and road" initiative.

the future of china-pakistan friendship: passing on the torch

now, mushahid's son mustafa has taken over as the executive director of the pakistan-china society. mustafa has organized many seminars on china-pakistan relations and held youth essay competitions on topics such as "why china is important to pakistan" and "how to strengthen relations between the two countries" to encourage more pakistani youth to better understand and support china-pakistan cooperation.

mushahid also proudly said that his seven-year-old grandson shisha has begun to learn chinese and can greet people fluently in chinese. this intergenerational inheritance has become the mission and pride of the mushahid family.

mushahid expressed his deep hope that the china-pakistan friendship would continue and develop more steadily and in a friendly manner in the years to come.

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