Srinagar, May 19 -- 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 governm...