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A war of words broke out between Jammu-Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti over the former's call to revive the Tulbul Navigation Barrage project on Wullar Lake in view of the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT).

Mehbooba termed the remark of Omar as "irresponsible" and "dangerously provocative", the Jammu-Kashmir CM hit back, saying that she refuses to acknowledge that the IWT was a historical betrayal of the people of Jammu-Kashmir because of her "blind lust" to score "cheap" publicity points, and please some people across the border.

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… pic.twitter.com/MQbGSXJKvq

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) May 15, 2025

In a post on X on Thursday, Abdullah had wondered if work can resume on the Tulbul Navigation Barrage project on Wullar Lake in view of the suspension of the IWT.

"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," Abdullah posted on his personal X handle.

He said that the Tulbul project, if completed, can help in using Jhelum for navigational purposes.

"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," he added.

Last month, the central government had put the Indus Water Treaty—under which India and Pakistan used to share water—in abeyance in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack. However, the PDP chief Friday took a dig at the chief minister, saying his call to revive the project was "deeply unfortunate".

"J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's call to revive the Tulbul Navigation Project amid ongoing tensions between India & Pakistan is deeply unfortunate," Mehbooba, a former chief minister of the erstwhile state of J-K, said in a post on X.She said such statements were not only "irresponsible" but "dangerously provocative" as well.

"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. Weaponising something as essential and life giving as water is not only inhumane but also risks internationalising what should remain a bilateral matter," the PDP president said.

Abdullah, following the remarks, hit back saying that the PDP president's refusal to acknowledge the treaty was a "historic betrayal" with the people of Jammu-Kashmir due to her "blind lust" to score "cheap publicity points" and "please" some 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," he posted on X.

Abdullah further added that he has always opposed the treaty and will continue to do so.

(With inputs from PTI.)