Protest in Srinagar against highway blockade, several AIP leaders detained
Srinagar: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Awami Itihaad Party (AIP) held a powerful demonstration at Press Colony in Srinagar, demanding immediate action to clear the prolonged blockade of Srinagar-Jammu highway and stranded fruit-laden trucks that have been stuck for over two weeks. The protest, however, was met with swift police action, as several party leaders were detained.
According to Kashmir Media Service, hundreds of AIP activists, led by MLA Langate Sheikh Khursheed, raised slogans such as “Save Apple, Save Kashmir,” stating that the administration led by New Delhi-appointed Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha was deliberately choking the Valley’s horticulture economy. Protesters carried placards drawing attention to the rotting fruit stuck in trucks, pointing to the severe financial impact faced by orchardists.
Addressing the media, MLA Sheikh Khursheed, who was among those detained by police, condemned the blockade, calling it an “economic assault” on Kashmir. “Hundreds of thousands of families depend on horticulture for their livelihood. By keeping apple consignments stranded for days, the administration is silently crushing Kashmir’s economy. Empty promises won’t save our growers, only immediate action will,” he emphasized.
AIP Chief Spokesperson Inam Un Nabi strongly condemned the arrests, terming it an attempt to silence the genuine voice of Kashmir’s growers. “Instead of ensuring free passage for apple trucks, the government is busy jailing those who speak for the people. Saving the apple crop means saving the very backbone of Kashmir’s livelihood and no amount of repression will stop us from defending it,” he said. KMS
