NEW DELHI: A fresh political confrontation has erupted between Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti over the proposed revival of the Tulbul Navigation Project in North Kashmir following the temporary suspension of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT).
On Thursday, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah shared an aerial video of Wular Lake on X, highlighting the visible civil works of the Tulbul Navigation Barrage. “The civil works you see in the video is the Tulbul Navigation Barrage. It was started in the early 1980s but had to be abandoned under pressure from Pakistan citing the Indus Water Treaty,” he posted. Abdullah further stated that with the temporary suspension of the IWT, the project could potentially be resumed, enabling navigation on the Jhelum River and improving downstream power generation, especially in winter.
The Wular lake in North Kashmir. The civil works you see in the video is the Tulbul Navigation Barrage. It was started in the early 1980s but had to be abandoned under pressure from Pakistan citing the Indus Water Treaty. Now that the IWT has been “temporarily suspended” I… pic.twitter.com/MQbGSXJKvq
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) May 15, 2025
Reacting strongly to Abdullah’s remarks, PDP President Mehbooba Mufti expressed disapproval, calling his statement “deeply unfortunate.” She emphasized that the timing of such a comment, especially when India and Pakistan have just de-escalated from a potential conflict, is “irresponsible” and “provocative.” Mufti argued that water should not be “weaponized” and warned against internationalizing a bilateral issue.
J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s call to revive the Tulbul Navigation Project amid ongoing tensions between India & Pakistan is deeply unfortunate. At a time when both countries have just stepped back from the brink of a full-fledged war—with Jammu and Kashmir bearing the brunt… https://t.co/LZrVAhIukQ
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) May 16, 2025
In a swift rebuttal, Omar Abdullah accused Mehbooba Mufti of politicizing the matter for publicity. He asserted that opposing the IWT is about correcting a historic injustice that has deprived the people of J&K of their rights over local water resources. “I have always opposed this treaty & I will continue to do so. Opposing a blatantly unfair treaty is in no way, shape, size or form warmongering,” Abdullah wrote.
Actually what is unfortunate is that with your blind lust to try to score cheap publicity points & please some people sitting across the border, you refuse to acknowledge that the IWT has been one of the biggest historic betrayals of the interests of the people of J&K. I have… https://t.co/j55YwE2r39
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) May 16, 2025
Mehbooba Mufti, however, responded by pointing out inconsistencies in the National Conference (NC) stance, referencing how NC founder Sheikh Abdullah once supported accession to Pakistan before aligning with India. She stressed that the PDP has consistently upheld its principles without resorting to “warmongering rhetoric” to validate its stance.
As the political debate continues to unfold, many are keenly observing the government’s stance on the Tulbul Navigation Project, especially amid ongoing India-Pakistan tensions.
