"Dangerously provocative": Mehbooba Mufti tears into Omar Abdullah's advocacy to resume Tulbul Navigation project

As India and Pakistan move towards an understanding for cessation of hostilities, halting the conflict, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Friday launched a scathing attack against Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over the latter's call for revival of the Tulbul Navigation project, labelling the demand as "irresponsible and dangerously provocative".

She said that such statements were "dangerously provocative" given that both countries have moved away from the brink of a "full-fledged war", with people of Jammu and Kashmir bearing the brunt of destruction.

"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 through the loss of innocent lives, widespread destruction and immense suffering such statements are not only irresponsible but also dangerously provocative," Mehbooba, former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, posted on X.


She said that people in J&K deserve peace and "weaponising" water, which is essential and life-giving, was "inhumane" and internationalises a bilateral issue.

"Our people deserve peace as much as anyone else in the country. Weaponising something as essential and life-giving as water is not only inhumane but also risks internationalising what should remain a bilateral matter," Mehbooba added.

Her remarks come after CM Abdullah advocated for the revival of the Tulbul Navigation project, given that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) has been suspended following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

"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 wonder if we will be able to resume the project. 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," Abdullah had posted on X.