India, May 16 -- Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Friday dismissed Mehbooba Mufti's criticism of his efforts to revive the Tulbul Navigation Project, calling it a bid for "cheap publicity" and an attempt to "appease certain sections" in Pakistan.

Responding sharply, Mehbooba Mufti alleged that Omar Abdullah's grandfather, Sheikh Abdullah, had once supported the idea of joining Pakistan after being ousted from power in Jammu and Kashmir.

"But post being reinstated as Chief Minister he suddenly reversed his stance by aligning with India. In contrast the PDP has consistently upheld its convictions & commitments & unlike your party whose loyalties have shifted dramatically according to political expediency," she wrote on X....