A war of words emerged between Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Friday over the Indus Valley Treaty. Abdulla hit out at Mufti, saying she is trying to “please some people sitting across the border”.
He firmly upheld his opposition to the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), calling it the “biggest historical betrayal” of the interests of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Abdullah asserted that challenging the “unjust treaty” should not be seen as “warmongering,” but rather as an effort to rectify past mistakes.
“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 IWT has been one of the biggest historic betrayals of the interests of the people of J&K. I have always opposed this treaty and 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 replied to Mufti on X.
Earlier, Mufti strongly criticised Omar Abdullah for advocating the revival of the Tulbul Navigation project, describing the demand as “irresponsible and dangerously provocative.”
She added that at a time when both countries have only recently pulled back from the edge of a full-scale war, with Jammu and Kashmir enduring the worst through the loss of innocent lives, widespread devastation, and immense suffering, such remarks are not only irresponsible but also dangerously provocative.
“J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s call to revive the Tulbul Navigation Project amid ongoing tensions between India & Pakistan is deeply unfortunate. 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,” Mehbooba, former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, said in a post on X.
“Our people deserve peace as much as anyone else in the country,” PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti further said and warned that turning a vital resource like water into a weapon is not only inhumane but also risks internationalising an issue that should remain a strictly bilateral matter between India and Pakistan.
