Political Tempers Flare as Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti Clash On ‘X’ Over Tulbul Barrage Revival

A heated political confrontation has erupted in Jammu and Kashmir between National Conference (NC) leader and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti, centered around the controversial Tulbul Navigation Barrage project in North Kashmir. The row was triggered after Omar Abdullah posted a video of Wular Lake on social media platform X, reviving debate over the long-abandoned Tulbul Navigation Barrage. In his post, Abdullah suggested resuming work on the project, citing the "temporary suspension" of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) as an opportunity to reclaim J&K’s water rights.

The Fiery Exchanges -

“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,” Omar wrote.
He further emphasised that the project could aid winter navigation along the Jhelum and boost downstream power generation.

Mehbooba Mufti swiftly condemned the statement, accusing Abdullah of recklessness at a fragile moment in regional diplomacy.
“J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s call to revive the Tulbul Navigation Project amid ongoing tensions between India & Pakistan is deeply unfortunate… Weaponising something as essential and life-giving as water is not only inhumane but also risks internationalising what should remain a bilateral matter,” she posted.

Abdullah fired back, accusing Mufti of prioritising political optics over J&K's rights.
“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… Opposing a blatantly unfair treaty is in no way warmongering,” he retorted.

The online spat escalated when Mufti invoked historical political shifts, referencing Abdullah’s grandfather Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s vacillating stand post-accession.
“Time will reveal who seeks to appease whom… It’s worth recalling that your esteemed grandfather Sheikh Sahab once advocated for accession to Pakistan… then reversed his stance,” she said, contrasting it with the PDP’s “consistent convictions.”

Abdullah responded by calling Mufti’s remarks a “gutter” level personal attack, pledging to stay focused on advocating for J&K's water rights.
“Is that really the best you can do? Taking cheap shots at a person you yourself have called Kashmir’s tallest leader… You keep advocating the interests of anyone you want to & I’ll keep advocating for the interests of the people of J&K,” he wrote, signaling the end of his online exchange with, “Now I think I’ll do some real work & you can keep posting.”

The Indus Waters Treaty, in force since 1960 and brokered by the World Bank, has long governed the sharing of the Indus River system between India and Pakistan. The flow of the water, in an unprecedented move, was stopped by India after the deadly Pahalgam attack in which 26 tourists were killed on April 22. “Water and blood can’t flow together”, said Pm Narendra Modi on Tuesday during his address to the nation post ‘Operation Sindoor’.​