If I Had Been Built: The Lament of Kalabagh Dam

If I Had Been Built: The Lament of Kalabagh Dam

I am Kalabagh, a name that echoes with both hope and controversy in Pakistan’s history. My home is on the rugged western bank of the Indus River in Punjab’s Mianwali district, where the river’s strength meets the salt-streaked hills. The soil here is rich, the winds fierce, and the river’s roar unceasing. The name Kalabagh, meaning “black garden,” was given to me long before the idea of my existence as a dam was imagined. It originated from the …