The long-standing Tulbul Navigation Project has once again ignited a political face-off in Jammu and Kashmir, with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti trading sharp barbs on social media platform X. The spark was ignited when Omar Abdullah reignited calls to revive the decades-old Tulbul Navigation Barrage project, which had been shelved in the late 1980s under Pakistani pressure citing the Indus Water Treaty.

Taking to X on Thursday, Abdullah argued for restarting the project in the wake of India suspending the Indus Water Treaty following the Pahalgam attack. He noted that the project would allow India greater navigational control over the Jhelum River and help boost power generation, especially during the harsh winters.

However, Mehbooba Mufti responded sternly, criticising the move as "deeply unfortunate" and "provocative" given the volatile relations between India and Pakistan. “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,” she said.

Mufti also accused the CM of “weaponizing water,” calling it "inhumane" and potentially a trigger for international escalation. “Our people deserve peace as much as anyone else in the country. Weaponizing something as essential and life-giving as water is not only inhumane but also risks internationalizing what should remain a bilateral matter,” she added.

In a fiery rebuttal, Omar Abdullah accused the PDP chief of playing politics at the cost of J&K’s welfare. “Actually, what is unfortunate is that with your blind lust to try to score cheap publicity points and please some people sitting across the border, you refuse to acknowledge that the Indus Water Treaty has been one of the biggest historic betrayals of the interests of the people of J&K,” he wrote.

Further condemning the treaty, he added, “I have always opposed this treaty and will continue to do so. Opposing a blatantly unfair treaty is in no way, shape, 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.”