By Shazia Shah | Kashmir Pen
Srinagar | May 15, 2025: In a strongly worded tweet, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday called the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) a “historic betrayal” of the interests of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, asserting his continued opposition to the decades-old water-sharing agreement.
“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,” Abdullah wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
“I have always opposed this treaty & I will continue to do so,” he added, responding to recent criticism of his stand on the IWT. “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.”
The Chief Minister’s remarks come amidst renewed debate over water rights and inter-regional resource distribution, particularly in the context of hydroelectric development and irrigation needs within Jammu and Kashmir.
The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960 between India and Pakistan with World Bank mediation, allocated control over the eastern rivers to India and the western rivers—including the Jhelum and Chenab—to Pakistan, placing significant restrictions on J&K’s usage of its own water resources.
Omar Abdullah’s comments reflect longstanding political and regional grievances within Jammu and Kashmir regarding the treaty’s implications, and are likely to reignite discussions around revisiting or renegotiating the agreement in light of changing geopolitical and developmental priorities | Kashmir Pen
