Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah locked horns with PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti over India’s Tulbul Navigation Project on X. Abdullah slammed Mufti for opposing the revival of the project, saying her “blind lust to try to score cheap publicity points and please some people sitting across the border” is unfortunate.
The clash between the two leaders began after the J&K CM, in a post on X on Thursday, called for the revival of the Tulbul Navigation Barrage project. This project was initiated in the early 1980s but was later abandoned under pressure from Pakistan, citing the Indus Water Treaty.
Since India suspended the Indus Water Treaty following the Pahalgam attack, Omar Abdullah wondered if the project could now be resumed, arguing that it would give India the advantage of using the Jhelum River for navigation and also enhance power generation for downstream projects, especially during the winter.
Responding to the CM’s post, Mehbooba Mufti on Friday called Abdullah’s push to revive the Tulbul Navigation Project amid ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan “deeply unfortunate.”
Calling Abdullah’s remarks provocative, she said, “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 through the loss of innocent lives, widespread destruction, and immense suffering—such statements are not only irresponsible but also dangerously provocative.”
Opposing the revival of the Tulbul Navigation Project, she added, “Our people deserve peace as much as anyone else in the country. Weaponizing something as essential and life-giving as water is not only inhumane but also risks internationalizing what should remain a bilateral matter.”
Omar Abdullah responded to Mufti’s remarks by saying, “Actually, what is unfortunate is that with your blind lust to try to score cheap publicity points and please some people sitting across the border, you refuse to acknowledge that the Indus Water Treaty has been one of the biggest historic betrayals of the interests of the people of J&K.”
Speaking out against the treaty, he added, “I have always opposed this treaty and will continue to do so. Opposing a blatantly unfair treaty is in no way, shape, or form warmongering—it’s about correcting a historic injustice that denied the people of J&K the right to use our water for ourselves.”
