Kashmiri Leaders Face The Rising Tide Of Youth Concerns

Srinagar- Youth concerns in Kashmir are breaking past rallies and protests, finding their way into the corridors of power.

This Sunday morning, the shift became clear when a young party leader showed up at his senior's home in Sonwar with a folder full of an entire generation's worries.

Hamid Rather, a young lawyer from Pattan and youth spokesperson for the Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference, carried papers that told the story of long waits, growing frustrations, and hopes on hold.

There were electricity bills matching or even exceeding rent. Lists of daily-wage workers who hadn't been paid for months. Job rejection emails that all started the same way:“We regret to inform you.”

“They're not asking for the impossible,” Rather said.“They just want the work they applied for, the salaries they earned, bills they can pay. That's it.”

Sajad Lone, party president, sat in a bright living room with his phone face down, nodding thoughtfully, chin slightly raised.

Rather laid the papers on the table.“These are not just numbers,” he said.“They are voices, that can't be expressed on the street right now, so they've come here.”

The 2024 assembly elections, held nearly a decade after the last vote, had been shaped decisively by young voters. They came out in large numbers, motivated by hopes that their welfare, jobs, and future would finally matter. Many of them overwhelmingly supported certain parties, believing their vote would translate into real change.

A year after the elections, young people are still waiting for change, and anxiety is growing.

Even parties they backed are now expressing helplessness or confusion over addressing their concerns.

Meanwhile, jobs remain hard to find for youth in Jammu and Kashmir, where unemployment ranks among the highest in India.

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