Mirpur: a city under water
Amnah Shaukat
Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it. (L.M. Montgomery)
It’s the month of January. The water level in Mangla Dam has lowered greaty in the past two months. As the water level falls, the remnants of an old city become more visible.
What happened to that city, I wondered. Why doesn’t it exist anymore? The places of the city, its streets and its buildings: where are they? Why was it demolished? I wanted to know the history of Mangla and the city submerged in it.
On inquiring from my father I came to know that the dam is actually named after Mangla Devi, the daughter of King Porus. The Mangla Dam was constructed on top of settlements.
The old city was evacuated, its residents were moved to another place now called “New Mirpur City” and then ...
