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Tulbul tussle in Jammu & Kashmir: Omar, Mehbooba engage in war of words over navigation project

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Hakeem Irfan Rashid

, ET BureauLast Updated: May 17, 2025, 12:51:00 AM IST

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A verbal dispute erupted between Jammu and Kashmir's Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti. The disagreement centered on the Tulbul Navigation project on Wular Lake. Abdullah accused Mufti of appeasing those across the border. Mufti deemed Abdullah's statements dangerously provocative. The project, halted due to Pakistan's objection, saw renewed interest.

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Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah and former CM Mehbooba Mufti engaged in a war of words over Tulbul Navigation project on the Wular Lake in north Kashmir. The CM accused Mufti of trying to "please people across the border" while Mufti said Abdullah's assertions were "dangerously provocative".

It all started on Thursday when Abdullah shared an aerial footage of Wular Lake, stating: "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," said Abdullah.

Also Read: India's action inside Pakistan just a trailer, if need be the world will see entire picture, says Rajnath Singh

The Tulbul Navigation Project, popularly known as the Wular Barrage Project, was initiated in the 1980s, but work was suspended due to Pakistan's objection. The work restarted in 2010, with the then NC-Congress government, also led by Abdullah, said Article 9 of IWT permitted projects meant for non-consumptive use. In 2012, unidentified militants lobbed a grenade towards a bund of the barrage and even thrashed some of the workers at the project site.

In response to Abdullah's comments, Mufti wrote that J&K CM's comments amid ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan are deeply unfortunate and dangerously provocative. She said 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," said Mufti.

Also Read: India's Afghanistan outreach points to emerging dynamics

To this Abdullah retorted, saying it's unfortunate that Mufti's "blind lust to try to score cheap publicity points and please some people sitting across the border" makes her to refuse to acknowledge that IWT has been one of the biggest "historic betrayals" of the interests of the people of J&K. Mufti then claimed that NC founder Sheikh Abdullah abandoned the struggle for plebiscite in 1975, when he was made the chief minister of J&K.

The J&K CM in response said that taking cheap shots at a person Mufti herself has called Kashmir's tallest leader is the best the PDP leader could do. Abdullah also shared some media reports in which Mufti has said that IWT was against the interest of people of J&K.

Mufti said that Abdullah invoking IWT now is a reckless ploy to derail the ceasefire.

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