'Cheap publicity': Omar Abdullah slams Mehbooba Mufti for opposing calls to revive Tulbul Navigation project

Mufti accused the current CM of adopting "provocative" measures amid ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan.

Abdullah, however, retorted back alleging that the former Chief Minister was trying to  "score cheap publicity points" and "please some people" in Pakistan by opposing the idea.

The Tulbul Navigation project, undertaken to rejuvenate the Jhelum-fed Wular lake in Bandipora district, was launched in 1987 but paused in 2007 over objections from Pakistan that it violated the Indus Waters Treaty.

With the Indus Waters Treaty getting suspended on April 23, a day after the Pahalgam terror attack, Abdullah on Thursday called for the resumption of work in the project on Wular Lake.

In a post on X, the Chief Minister said, "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."

Mehbooba Mufti opposed the call, stating it "was deeply unfortunate" to revive the project now amid India-Pakistan tensions.

"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. Our people deserve peace as much as anyone else in the country," she said.

The spat took an ugly turn when Abdullah alleged that Mufri wants to score "cheap publicity points" through this and "please people sitting across the border".

"Actually what is unfortunate is that with your blind lust to try to score cheap publicity points & please some people sitting across the border, you refuse to acknowledge that the IWT has been one of the biggest historic betrayals of the interests of the people of J&K. I have always opposed this treaty & I will continue to do so. Opposing a blatantly unfair treaty is in no way, shape, size or form warmongering, it’s about correcting a historic injustice that denied the people of J&K the right to use our water for ourselves," Abdullah posted.

To this, Mufti responded saying: "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."

"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," said the CM.

Under the Indus Waters Treaty governing six common rivers, all the water of the eastern rivers - Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi, amounting to around 33 million acre feet (MAF) annually - has been allocated to India for unrestricted use. The waters of western rivers - Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab - amounting to around 135 MAF annually, have been assigned largely to Pakistan.

Following the deadly Pahalgam attack of April 22, the Indian government suspended the treaty as a punitive diplomatic action. India also responded by launching Operation Sindoor, targeting nine terror bases in Pakistan and PoK. This escalated tensions and led to strikes and counter-strikes between the two nations.

On May 10, India and Pakistan reached a ceasefire agreement to stop all firing and military action on land, air, and sea.