Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir’s former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and the current Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday engaged in a war of words over the issue surrounding the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) that has been put in abeyance by India following the Pahalgam terror attack.
On Thursday, Omar called for the resumption of the long-stalled Tulbul Navigation Barrage project in North Kashmir, citing the “temporary suspension” of the IWT as an opportunity to revisit critical water infrastructure initiatives. He had posted it along with an aerial view of Wular Lake and the site of the Tulbul Barrage.
Following Omar’s X post over the issue, Mehbooba slammed him and questioned the timing and intent behind his remarks. She also claimed that such proposals can reignite tensions between India and Pakistan.
“J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s call to revive the Tulbul Navigation Project amid ongoing tensions between India & Pakistan is deeply unfortunate,” Mehbooba wrote. “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.”
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
Mehbooba said Kashmiris deserved peace, not political posturing over sensitive issues like water-sharing.
“Weaponising something as essential and life giving as water is not only inhumane but also risks internationalizing what should remain a bilateral matter,” she added.
Hours after facing criticism from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief, Omar said on Friday that he will “rise above the gutter you (Mehbooba) want to take this conversation to …”
While responding to Mehbooba’s criticism, Omar wrote on X: “Is that really the best you can do? Taking cheap shots at a person you yourself have called Kashmir’s tallest leader. I’ll rise above the gutter you want to take this conversation to by keeping the late Mufti Sahib and “North Pole South Pole” out of this. You keep advocating the interests of anyone you want to & I’ll keep advocating for the interests of the people of J&K to use our own rivers for our own benefit. I’m not going to stop the water, just use more of it for ourselves. Now I think I’ll do some real work & you can keep posting.”
Omar’s remarks came in response to Mehbooba’s second volley towards Omar while invoking Sheikh Abdullah accepting demotion to CM from PM
“Time will reveal who seeks to appease whom. However, it’s worth recalling that your esteemed grandfather Sheikh Sahab once advocated for accession to Pakistan for over two decades after losing power. But post being reinstated as Chief Minister he suddenly reversed his stance by aligning with India. In contrast the PDP has consistently upheld its convictions & commitments & unlike your party whose loyalties have shifted dramatically according to political expediency. We don’t need to stoke tensions or adopt warmongering rhetoric to validate our dedication. Our actions speak for themselves.,” Mehbooba said in a separate post.
Is that really the best you can do? Taking cheap shots at a person you yourself have called Kashmir’s tallest leader. I’ll rise above the gutter you want to take this conversation to by keeping the late Mufti Sahib and “North Pole South Pole” out of this. You keep advocating the… https://t.co/R6wGL2o4tL
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) May 16, 2025
Her series of remarks came in response to a post by Omar on Thursday, in which the National Conference leader shared a 30-second aerial video of the Wular Lake in north Kashmir, where the civil works of the proposed Tulbul Navigation Barrage can be seen.
The work on the project began in the early 1980s but was later halted under Pakistani objections rooted in the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). “The Wular Lake in North Kashmir. The civil works you see in the video are the Tulbul Navigation Barrage,” Omar said in a post on X.
"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 wonder if we will be able to resume the project."
Omar argued that completing the barrage could offer strategic and economic benefits. "It will give us the advantage of allowing us to use the Jhelum for navigation. It will also improve the power generation of downstream power projects, especially in winter," he added.
The Tulbul project, as originally conceived, involved building a 439-foot-long and 40-foot-wide barrage on the Jhelum River at the mouth of Wular Lake. With a proposed storage capacity of 0.30 million acre-feet of water, the structure was intended to regulate flow during lean months and facilitate summer navigation between Baramulla and Srinagar.
However, the project has remained mired in diplomatic deadlock since 1987 after Pakistan claimed it violated the IWT, the 1960 agreement brokered by the World Bank to share the waters of the Indus basin. India has maintained that the project is well within the treaty’s technical parameters.
Read More
