J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah says hydropower potential of the region thwarted by the 1960 Indus Water Treaty. Peoples Conference's Sajad Lone slams Abdullah's remarks as 'right-wing rhetoric'

SRINAGAR: As the Valley faces lengthy power cuts in the winter months, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) between India and Pakistan is creating hurdles in J&K’s power generation.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah criticized the Indus Water Treaty's restrictions on the region's hydel power potential due to storage constraints. He called for special compensation and intervention from the central government to improve energy output,

India and Pakistan signed the IWT in 1960 after nine years of negotiations, with the World Bank being a signatory to the pact which sets out a mechanism for cooperation and information exchange between the two sides on the use of waters of a number of cross-border rivers in Jammu and Kashmir.

“As a fallout of the treaty barriers, J&K pays a heavy price in peak winter months when power generation hits low, creating hardships for its people,” Abdullah, who also holds the Power portfolio, said while speaking at the Conference of the power ministers of states and Union Territories here.

Peoples Conference president Sajjad Lone on Wednesday sharply criticized Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's remark on the Indus Water Treaty, dismissing them as "right-wing gibberish" intended to appease the BJP.

Mehbooba Mufti, PDP chief, has cautioned against reopening the Indus Water Treaty, stating that it would escalate regional tensions and primarily benefit the BJP. This comes in response to Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah's concerns about the treaty limiting the region's hydropower potential.