There has been an ongoing dispute between India and Pakistan over the Tulbul Project since 1987, when Pakistan objected that it violated the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). India stopped work on the project that year, but has since pressed to restart construction. The Jhelum River passing through the Kashmir valley below Wular Lake which is a connecting lake as per IWT, provides an important means of transport for goods and people. To sustain navigation throughout the year, a minimum depth of water is needed. India contends that the Tulbul Project is permissible per paragraphs 7 (c) and 9 of Annexure E, IWT while Pakistan maintains that the project is a violation of the treaty if the storage is above for non-power generation purpose. India says suspension of work is harming the interests of people of Jammu and Kashmir and also depriving irrigation and power benefits to the people of Pakistan that may accrue from regulated water releases.