Omar Abdullah’s call to scrap Indus Water Treaty is ‘dangerous and short-sighted’, says PDP

PDP criticizes J&K CM Omar Abdullah for dangerous remarks on scrapping Indus Water Treaty, advocating peace and diplomacy.

The Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday (May 17, 2025) targeted Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over his remarks on reviving the Tulbul navigation project, and said Mr. Abdullah’s call to scrap the Indus Water Treaty was “dangerous and short-sighted”.

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“Mr. Abdullah’s remarks are not just ill-timed but deeply irresponsible. At a moment when peace is fragile and the ceasefire is barely holding, such provocations only serve to inflame tensions,” the PDP said in a statement.

Mr. Abdullah’s call to scrap the Indus Water Treaty was “dangerous”, the PDP said. “It is a sensitive period for our nation, and leaders must act with maturity, not opportunism,” the PDP said.

The 2002 resolution on the Indus Water Treaty was moved in the then J&K Legislative Council by a National Conference MLC, and not by itself, the PDP said. “It (the resolution) passed solely because the NC held a majority in the Upper House [of the then J&K State Assembly]. The PDP has never wavered from its stand — our commitment has always been to peace, dialogue, and diplomacy. We believe Jammu & Kashmir must be a bridge of peace between the two countries, not a battleground,” the PDP said.

The PDP said the party’s position was clear and it would “continue to demand fair compensation under the treaty to J&K, but the IWT (Indus Water Treaty) must not be used as a pretext for war rhetoric”. 

“Introducing contentious issues like the Tulbul project or the abrogation of the IWT in today’s volatile climate only pushes both countries closer to further confrontation. Those in J&K advocating such positions are undermining our region’s stability, jeopardising the lives of our people living in the border States, who suffer most when conflict escalates and, most importantly, India’s interests,” the PDP said.