Omar, Mehbooba clash over Kashmir’s water rights

Srinagar, May 16: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti war of words on X intensified on Friday over the revival of the Tulbul Navigation Project. Tulbul Navigation Project is aimed at improving navigation on the River Jhelum and power generation.
Omar Abdullah’s call to revive the project on Thursday was seen as provocative by Mehbooba Mufti, especially after both countries had stepped back from the brink of war in the backdrop of the Pahalgam terror attack, abeyance of Indus Water Treaty and Operation Sindoor.
CM Abdullah took to social media to counter what he termed as “cheap shots” from Mehbooba, asserting he would not be drawn into a “gutter” level of debate. These remarks came after Mufti brought Abdullah’s grandfather and former J&K Chief Minister Sheikh Abdullah into the heated exchange between the two on the issue of the Indus Water Treaty and the Tulbul Navigation Project.
The CM further suggested the PDP chief can keep posting as he would now engage in some “real work”. In a social media post, replying to PDP chief Mufti, Abdullah said, “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.”
He added, “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.”
Mehbooba Mufti highlighted the Tulbul Navigation Barrage project, which was started in the 1980s but abandoned due to Pakistan’s objections under the IWT.
With the treaty temporarily suspended, she wondered if the project could be resumed, which would allow Jammu and Kashmir to utilize the Jhelum River for navigation and improve power generation.
The PDP chief has said, “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.”
Mufti criticised Omar’s move, saying the IWT was unfair to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. She argued that opposing the treaty wasn’t about warmongering but correcting a historical injustice that denied the region the right to use its own water resources.
“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,” she added.