It was recently reported that India had decided to revive the Tulbul Navigation project on the Jhelum River that had remained suspended for several years now. The project was initiated in 1984 to regulate the flow of the Jhelum river and ensure navigability during the lean winter months. However, work had come to halt in 1987 and 1989 after Pakistan had raised objections to the project after Pakistan had come to argue that the structure had to come to violate the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), a key transboundary river water sharing agreement signed between India and Pakistan in 1960.However, fresh momentum has come to be generated after the IWT was “put in abeyance” by India following the Pahalgam terrorist attacks in 2025. With the treaty now held in abeyance, the government is taking adequate measures to ensure that the waters of the Indus and its tributaries, both the western rivers, Indus, Chenab, Jhelum allocated to Pakistan under the aegis of the treaty and the waters of the eastern rivers, Ravi, Beas and Satluj come to fulfil the needs of the local Kashmiri population. This is an excellent initiative taken by the government and restarting old projects such as the Tulbul Navigation project could benefit the Kashmir’s population in the medium-to-long run.

Need for Revision/Modification IWTKashmir stands to benefit from the revision or modification of the IWT and access to the waters of the Indus and its tributaries by the local Kashmiri population is defintitely desirable. The headwaters of the Indus and its tributaries pass through Kashmir and Kashmiris must have equitable access to the waters of the river system much like other stakeholders who are dependent on its waters to fulfil their basic needs.

While the Indus River system has traditionally played a key role in Kashmir’s local economy, however, so........

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