In 1984, General Zia-ul-Haq officially announced the Kalabagh Dam project, touting its benefits, including the generation of 3,600 megawatts of electricity, improvement of the energy sector, storage of 6.1 million acre-feet of water, and flood mitigation. Zia's government also claimed the dam would increase irrigation efficiency and enhance agricultural production, promoting economic growth and energy independence for Pakistan. Despite these promises, the dam faced fierce political opposition, particularly from Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, due to concerns over water distribution, environmental damage, and displacement of local populations.
Even though Zia-ul-Haq’s government pushed hard for the dam’s construction, it could not proceed due to strong political and technical opposition. In 2003, General Pervez Musharraf also attempted to revive the Kalabagh Dam project, but faced similar challenges. By then, the cost of the dam had skyrocketed to $10 billion, and no international financial institution was willing to fund it due to the environmental risks associated with large dams.
Research on major dam projects worldwide has revealed their devastating environmental impact. China's Three Gorges Dam, the largest hydroelectric power project in the world, wreaked havoc on the environment. Similarly, Egypt's Aswan High Dam, built on the Nile in the 1970s, temporarily solved Egypt's electricity needs and irrigation problems but caused long-term damage to the Nile Delta's fertility. India’s Narmada Valley Dam and the Glen Canyon Dam in the United States are also examples of large-scale environmental disasters. Kalabagh Dam would have had similar consequences for Sindh, threatening the province's ancient culture and historical existence.
The powerful elites in Pakistan, who have historically exploited the country’s resources for their own business interests, have consistently supported such projects in the name of national security and economic development. General Musharraf, like his predecessors, safeguarded the interests of Punjab while disregarding the concerns of other provinces. His dream of building the Kalabagh Dam remained unfulfilled.
Today, the grievances of the provinces are deepening, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan feeling increasingly marginalized. Akhtar Mengal, leader of the Balochistan National Party, recently resigned from the National Assembly, stating that the federal government is not serious about addressing Balochistan's concerns. He criticized the distribution of resources, citing examples like the Sandak project, where Balochistan receives only 2% of the revenue while China takes 50% and the federal government 48%.
The deep-rooted grievances in Balochistan have made it a critical issue for Pakistan. Baloch leaders, including former Chief Minister Abdul Malik Baloch, have expressed frustration over the exploitation of the province’s resources without any tangible benefits for the local population. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has also been a source of contention, with Baloch leaders arguing that the people of Balochistan have little say in the projects meant for their development.
While Balochistan’s discontent is a pressing issue, Sindh has also been systematically targeted. The political resistance that Sindh once symbolized has been weakened through deliberate strategies, including fostering religious extremism and suppressing progressive political movements. For the past two decades, Sindh has been under the control of a single political party, and long-standing rule often transforms political parties into businesses, driven by power and wealth.
The fate of Sindh, like that of Balochistan, is now in the hands of forces that view the development of Punjab as synonymous with Pakistan's progress. The other provinces, including Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan, are seen merely as colonies to be exploited for their resources. The political elite continues to devise strategies to suppress any political movements that threaten their dominance, using tools such as religious extremism to divert attention from genuine issues.
In conclusion, the struggle for control over the Indus River and the ongoing exploitation of provincial resources are not just political battles but deeply rooted conspiracies against the integrity and prosperity of Pakistan's marginalized provinces. The history of the Kalabagh Dam reflects the larger narrative of how powerful elites have consistently sacrificed the interests of smaller provinces for the benefit of Punjab, turning Pakistan into a nation divided by deep-seated grievances.
