Altaf Husain
JAMMU,16 MAY 2025 The political landscape of Jammu and Kashmir has been stirred once again, as a sharp war of words unfolded between Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and former CM Mehbooba Mufti, following Abdullah’s call to revive the long-stalled Tulbul Navigation Project on Wullar Lake in north Kashmir. The project, which remains a contentious issue between India and Pakistan, has reignited both regional aspirations and cross-border sensitivities.
Addressing a public meeting in Bandipora, CM Omar Abdullah emphasized the urgent need to reclaim J&K’s water resource rights, asserting that the Tulbul Navigation Barrage project is a rightful and strategic initiative that benefits both local development and national infrastructure. He described the revival of the project as “a long-overdue assertion of Jammu and Kashmir’s interests, which have for decades been compromised political hesitation and external pressure.”
“We can no longer allow our natural resources to be governed fear or silence. This project was shelved not because it lacked merit, but because of political cowardice. The people of J&K deserve access, connectivity, and the benefits that come with infrastructure rooted in their own geography,” Abdullah stated.
In direct response, PDP President and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti called the move “provocative, irresponsible, and dangerously timed,” criticizing the revival attempt amid heightened India-Pakistan tensions. She accused Omar Abdullah of jeopardizing regional peace for political gain.
“Raising the Tulbul issue now is not about rights; it’s about recklessness. This kind of posturing can escalate tensions along the border and derail any fragile understanding between the two nations. The timing is not just wrong — it is dangerous,” Mufti said during a press briefing in Anantnag.
She further warned that such unilateral decisions may invite diplomatic fallout and could potentially violate the spirit of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), an agreement under which the project was earlier halted in 1987 due to Pakistan’s objections.
The Tulbul Navigation Project, proposed in the 1980s, aims to construct a barrage at the mouth of Wullar Lake to regulate water flow and improve navigation on the Jhelum River. Though India argues the project is within the bounds of the Indus Waters Treaty, Pakistan has consistently objected, claiming it gives India the ability to control water flow into its territory.
Political analysts are calling this public dispute a defining moment in the internal politics of Jammu and Kashmir, where development priorities are now colliding with strategic diplomacy and regional sensitivities. While Omar Abdullah’s supporters view the move as a bold step toward asserting state autonomy and resource rights, Mufti’s faction warns of escalating geopolitical risks and deliberate political provocation.
The issue has also sparked reactions from civil society groups, with some welcoming the revival for its economic and infrastructural benefits, while others express concern over the lack of public consultation and the broader implications for peace and stability in the region.
Meanwhile, sources within the government indicate that preliminary assessments have begun, and consultations are underway with legal and environmental experts to ensure compliance with both national interests and international treaties
