Hakeem Yaseen urges centre, seeks urgent relief package for devastated orchardists and families

• Leadership must unite: CM Omar, LG Sinha should approach Amit Shah

SRINAGAR: In the wake of the catastrophic windstorm that ravaged large parts of the Kashmir Valley, Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Front (PDF) President and former minister Hakeem Muhammad Yaseen has issued a fervent appeal to the government to declare the calamity a National Disaster, citing unprecedented damage to both livelihoods and lives.

Terming the situation as “an economic and humanitarian catastrophe of grave proportions,” Yaseen said over 80 percent of apple orchards—the backbone of Kashmir’s rural economy—stand destroyed, with thousands of families staring at financial ruin. “This is not merely a weather event—it is a disaster of national scale. Traditional survey methods will only deepen despair. The government must act swiftly, decisively, and compassionately,” he said in an urgent statement on Monday.

Yaseen stressed that this is the time to abandon red-tape and inertia. “This devastation demands fast-track assessments, direct compensation, and a comprehensive special relief package. Growers have lost hope. Their saplings, their trees, their years of labor—all lie shattered. If this is not declared a national disaster, what is?” he asked.

The former minister also highlighted the plight of ordinary families, stating that hundreds of residential houses across the Valley have suffered serious structural damage. From flying rooftops to shattered windows and collapsed hoardings, entire neighborhoods have been left exposed to the elements.  “People are homeless, helpless, and hopeless. The state must not look away. Compensation must be provided immediately and without bureaucratic delays,” Yaseen demanded.

He urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to personally approach Union Home Minister Amit Shah and present a joint memorandum urging the Centre to declare the event a National Disaster under the Disaster Management Act. “This is not a political moment—it is a moment of truth for governance. The people of Kashmir need united leadership, not procedural apathy.”

Yaseen also pointed to the crippling impact on tourism, saying the sector—already struggling—has now been dealt another blow as the storm uprooted infrastructure and discouraged visitors. “Kashmir cannot afford silence from Delhi. We need solidarity, not sympathy,” he said.

Hakeem said that in Srinagar, Anantnag, Baramulla, Budgam, and other districts, tin sheets, debris, and hoardings turned deadly, injuring many and damaging vehicles and homes. Apple nurseries in Pulwama’s Karewa belt, orchards in Tangmarg and Baramulla, and public infrastructure in Kupwara, Ganderbal, and Bandipora have suffered massive losses.

"The power grid has been crippled, with dozens of transformers and electric poles destroyed, while water supply systems have collapsed in multiple areas due to damaged pumping stations and filtration plants," he said. Yaseen said this is a test of leadership, Kashmir bleeds today—its orchards, its homes, its children. The government must rise to the occasion. Anything less than a national-level response will be an unforgivable betrayal, he added.