A fresh political debate has erupted over the Tulbul Navigation Project after Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah spoke about its revival, citing the recent “temporary suspension” of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) between India and Pakistan.
In a post on X, Abdullah shared visuals of the unfinished Tulbul Barrage at Wular Lake in north Kashmir and questioned whether the stalled project could now be resumed.
“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,” he wrote.
“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.”
The statement drew sharp criticism from PDP President Mehbooba Mufti, who called the proposal irresponsible given the fragile regional context.
“J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s call to revive the Tulbul Navigation Project amid ongoing tensions between India & Pakistan is deeply unfortunate,” she posted on X.
“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.”
Mufti further warned against politicizing essential resources, stating, “Weaponizing something as essential and life giving as water is not only inhumane but also risks internationalizing what should remain a bilateral matter.”
The Tulbul Navigation Project, intended to regulate water flow from Wular Lake into the Jhelum River, has remained suspended since the 1980s due to objections raised by Pakistan under the terms of the IWT. With the treaty now under strain, the project’s future remains uncertain—caught between strategic interests and political sensitivities.(KNS)
