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Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir has backed terror groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir, saying that what India describes as terrorism is a “legitimate struggle” and that Pakistan will continue providing political, diplomatic, and moral support to the Kashmiri people.

Munir made the remarks while addressing a passing out parade at the Pakistan Naval Academy on Saturday, when he also said that India has “twice undertaken acts of unprovoked aggression against Pakistan” and the onus of any future escalation “will squarely lie with the aggressor”.

The speech was reminiscent of Munir’s remarks at an Overseas Pakistanis Convention in Islamabad on April 16, less than a week before the Pahalgam terror attack, when he described Kashmir as the “jugular vein” of Pakistan and said Islamabad will continue backing the struggle against “Indian occupation”.

There was no immediate response from Indian officials to Munir’s latest remarks. Munir’s previous remarks on Kashmir have been rubbished by the external affairs ministry.

“What India tends to term as terrorism is in fact the legitimate struggle as per the international conventions. Those who endeavoured to subdue the will of Kashmiri people and sought conflict elimination instead of resolution have made it more relevant and pronounced through their own actions,” Munir said while addressing the gathering in Karachi that included top military officers, civilian officials, and diplomats.

“We stand firm with the Kashmiri people for their right of self-determination for the resolution of the internationally recognised long-standing dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the people of Kashmir,” he added.

Munir contended that “regional peace will forever remain elusive” and there would be “perpetual danger of conflict in South Asia” without the “just and peaceful resolution” of the Kashmir issue.

Paying tribute to those who are struggling for “the right of self-determination”, Munir said: “Pakistan will always continue to provide political, diplomatic and moral support to the valiant people of…Jammu and Kashmir.”

India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 to target terrorist infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. This triggered four days of intense clashes, with both sides using drones, missiles, and long-range weapons, before they reached an understanding to halt military actions on May 10.

Munir claimed India’s leadership had “twice undertaken acts of unprovoked aggression against Pakistan” in recent years, under the “pretext of counter terrorism”. He was referring to the clashes in May and the cross-border air strike carried out by India in response to the Pulwama suicide bombing in 2019 that killed 40 Indian troopers. At that time, both sides had briefly engaged in aerial battles and skirmishes.

“Pakistan, despite grave provocations, acted with restraint and maturity and demonstrated its commitment to regional peace and stability, which has led to Pakistan’s role as net regional stabiliser,” Munir said. “However, the assumption that Pakistan would have any constraints in the face of any future violation of its sovereignty reflects a dangerous misreading of strategic fundamentals…any enemy acting on perceived vulnerability of Pakistan under the illusion of strategic impunity or miscalculation would get an assured, swift and a very befitting response.”

In the wake of the Pakistan-sponsored terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India intensified its strategic response, not only diplomatically and militarily but also hydrologically — by suspending the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) which governs sharing of water flowing to Pakistan from the Indus river system. Pakistan, which depends largely on water flowing from India for its agricultural production, has warned that India blocking the water flowing to Pakistan will be considered an act of war. However, undeterred by Pakistan’s threats, India is preparing another water shock for Pakistan.

The Indian government is set to revive the long-stalled Tulbul Navigation Project in Jammu & Kashmir, PTI has reported based on information from sources. A detailed project report (DPR) for the Tulbul project is being prepared and is expected to take about a year to complete. This move, which comes amid the suspension of the IWT, underscores a significant policy shift: leveraging water resources as a means of strategic assertion.

Also Read | Pakistan will be starved of water and India will never restore Indus water treaty, says Amit ShahWhat is the Tulbul Navigation Project?
The Tulbul Navigation Project (TNP) is a controlled storage facility on the Jhelum River near Sopore in the Kashmir Valley. Originally conceived in 1984, the project aimed to construct a 439-foot long and 40-foot wide navigation lock-cum-control structure at the mouth of the Wular Lake, one of the largest freshwater lakes in Asia.

The purpose of the project was to ensure navigability of the Jhelum River during lean seasons by regulating outflows from the Wular Lake. By storing around 300,000 acre-feet of water, the project was designed to maintain a minimum draught of 4.5 feet, enabling barge traffic between Baramulla and Srinagar. This would not only facilitate inland water transport, but also improve irrigation and generate potential for hydropower optimization downstream.

The Central government had started work on this project in 1984, but stopped it a year later following Pakistan’s strong objections. Pakistan in 1986 took the issue to the Indus Waters Commission, following which the project was abandoned in 1987.The work was restarted in 2010, with the then irrigation minister of J&K, Taj Mohideen, stating that Article 9 of IWT permitted such projects meant for non-consumptive use. In 2012, unidentified terrorists lobbed a grenade towards a bund raised by the workers for the project. In 2016, Taj claimed that the Omar-led NC-Congress (2008-2014) govt had completed almost 80 per cent of the project after redesigning it with a total estimated cost of Rs 50 crore, in contrast to the original project designed in 1980s at Rs 500 crore. He accused the PDP-BJP (2015-2018) govt of abandoning the project. Taj argued that water storage in the Wullar barrage would significantly benefit the downstream power projects by sustaining electricity generation during the winter months, when they see a sharp decline in output.

Also Read | India slams Pakistan’s ‘charade’ on Kishenganga, Ratle dams; trashes ‘illegal’ Court of Arbitration’s new ruling

How Tulbul project can benefit India, and why Pakistan opposes it
Under the IWT, India was allocated the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas and Sutlej), while the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum and Chenab) were allocated to Pakistan, with limited rights for India. India is allowed to use water from the western rivers for non-consumptive purposes like navigation, power generation and limited storage. The Tulbul Project aligns with these permissible uses. By regulating flows, India can maximize its share of water under the treaty, avoiding wastage of its rights while improving water availability during lean periods.

In the context of cross-border terrorism and Pakistan’s continued hostility, the project serves as a pressure point. Water, historically viewed as a cooperative resource, is now being reconsidered as a tool of strategic diplomacy. The resumption of Tulbul sends a strong signal that India will no longer remain passive while its treaty rights are undermined or while Pakistan continues to support non-state actors across the border.

The Jhelum river route was historically a vital trade artery. Reviving this navigation route will boost local commerce, create jobs and improve connectivity in the Kashmir Valley. Given the government’s broader push for inland waterways, this project fits into a national strategy of reducing dependence on road transport and improving logistics efficiency. Though Tulbul itself is not a hydropower project, its ability to regulate water flow can support downstream hydropower generation at projects like Uri-I and Uri-II. It can help stabilize water flow, enhance efficiency and reduce flood damage risks in the valley.

Pakistan has consistently objected to the Tulbul Navigation Project since its inception, and construction was halted in 1987 due to Islamabad’s protests. The core of Pakistan’s opposition lies in the perceived violation of the IWT provisions. Pakistan argues that the storage capacity of 300,000 acre-feet gives India the ability to manipulate water flows during critical periods, especially during the sowing season in Pakistan’s Punjab province. While India views the project as permissible under the IWT (which allows non-consumptive use including navigation), Pakistan sees it as an attempt to store water in violation of the treaty’s constraints on India’s use of the western rivers.

India’s revival of the Tulbul Project can be seen in light of a broader reassessment of the IWT, which has long been criticized within India for being overly generous. In suspending the treaty after the Pahalgam attack, India is signaling a willingness to challenge long-standing conventions that no longer serve its security or developmental interests. This policy shift is also likely influenced by China’s assertive use of water in the Brahmaputra basin. India now seems to be shedding its past restraint and adopting a more realist doctrine on transboundary rivers.

However, this move also raises the stakes in the ongoing India-Pakistan tensions. Pakistan has already warned that any attempt to block or manipulate water flows would be considered an “act of war”.

The Kashmir politics over Tulbul
The Tulbul project has been a contentious issue in J&K. After suspension of the IWT, local politics is simmering over the Tulbul project. In May, J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and former CM Mehbooba Mufti engaged in a war of words over reinstating the Tulbul Navigation Project. The argument started after Abdullah suggested a possible resumption of construction at the Tulbul Navigation Barrage on Wullar Lake, considering the suspension of the IWT. “The Wular lake in North Kashmir. The civil works you see in the video is the Tulbul Navigation Barrage. It was started in the early 1980s but had to be abandoned under pressure from Pakistan citing the Indus Water Treaty. Now that the IWT has been ‘temporarily suspended’ I wonder if we will be able to resume the project,” Abdullah posted on his personal X handle.

Taking to X, Mufti replied to Abdullah’s post: “At a time when both nations have just stepped back from the brink of war—with Jammu and Kashmir once again paying the highest price through loss of innocent lives, destruction, and suffering—such provocative statements are deeply irresponsible.” She stressed that J&K residents need tranquillity and constancy, rather than political actions that could heighten tensions. “Weaponizing water—a source of life—is not only inhumane, but it also threatens to internationalize an issue that must remain strictly bilateral,” she noted.

Replying to Mufti’s remarks, Abdullah wrote, “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. I have always opposed this treaty & 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.”

(With agency and TOI inputs)