Srinagar, Sept. 16 -- Awami Itihaad Party (AIP) on Tuesday staged a forceful demonstration at Press Colony, Srinagar, demanding immediate clearance of fruit-laden trucks stranded on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.

In a statement issued, Hundreds of AIP activists, led by MLA Langate Sheikh Khursheed, raised slogans of "Save Apple, Save Kashmir" and accused the administration of deliberately choking the Valley's horticulture economy. Protesters carried placards drawing attention to the rotting fruit stuck in trucks and the financial devastation being faced by orchardists.

Addressing the media, MLA Sheikh Khursheed said the blockade was nothing short of an "economic assault" on Kashmir. "Lakhs of families depend on horticulture for su...