Unlocking Peace in Kashmir: The Power and Resilience of Youth Amidst Challenges | Adfer Shah

Viewing Kashmiri society through the lens of peace and conflict studies, it can be argued that conflict management though has been an ongoing process for an extended period now; the region is currently in a state of stable transition, characterized by neither active/intense conflict nor a complete stability. This ‘stable transition’ environment presents unique challenges to all stake holders, particularly for youth grappling with a plethora of unseen struggles and some major visible challenges. On one hand they are struggling with their own psychologies, mental health concerns and drug addiction while on the other they face hurdles in their pursuit of careers and livelihoods amidst the high unemployment scenario.

Kashmiri Youth Forging Paths to Positive Peace

Amid Kashmir’s transitioning from active gun violence to a phase of apparent normalcy (deceptive peace and uncertain calm), these young individuals yearn for a meaningful conflict transformation and their functional engagement that embodies the ideals of positive peace. Youth in Kashmir represent a generation caught in limbo that is striving to navigate the complexities of social, psychological, cultural, and political and identity crises. The profound struggles faced by Kashmiri youth, who are caught in a state of uncertainty due to the region’s prolonged uncertainty. They got deeply affected by the turmoil that has plagued the region for decades. Their unresolved issues led to their alienation and to a pervasive sense of instability, leaving many of them without clear prospects for the future Socially and economically, Kashmiri youth faced stereotyping and labelling and joblessness. Psychological impacts, including anxiety, trauma, and depression, are widespread due to experiences of violence, loss, and displacement. Cultural identity is also a source of tension, as youth grapple with competing narratives. Politically, many Kashmiri youth felt marginalized with little voice in the decisions that affected their lives. This state of uncertainty and the complex web of challenges they face contribute to a sense of hopelessness, making it difficult for them to envision a future beyond Kashmir while some of them opted for jobs in the gulf countries. The prevalence of contractual positions within higher education institutions underscores the pervasive underemployment of highly educated young individuals. This entrenched culture of adhocism and contractualism perpetuates an atmosphere of job insecurity among youth, culminating in a crisis of confidence. Alarmingly, even doctoral degree holders, disillusioned by the scarcity of stable employment opportunities, are compelled to resort to menial occupations, such as vending dry fruits or juices on the streets, highlighting the stark disparity between their academic credentials and professional realities. Their struggles represent a generation profoundly shaped by crisis. Their resilience, potential and aspirations need to be addressed and the problem of Kashmir’s youth bulge is crucial for fostering a sustainable peace, as they seek to redefine their futures in a landscape still marked by the shadows of past violence, suffering and uncertainty. Kashmir’s youth bulge must be the prime focus of region’s long term planning and policy making and without reaching out to them and addressing their disillusionment and sense of uncertainty, achieving the goals of Viksit Bharat 2047 will be a difficult task.

Are Kashmiri Youth a Homogeneous Group?

A significant proportion of Jammu and Kashmir’s population resides in the Kashmir Valley, with a substantial portion of this population being young, particularly those under the age of 35. The term ‘Kashmiri youth’ generally refers to young people living in Kashmir Valley however, it is important to note that this category of youth is not a monolith. Because Kashmiri youth come from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds, including Koshur (Kashmiri origin), Gujjar, Bakerwal, Sikh, Pashto, Kohistani, Dard, Pahadi, Sippi, Baltis, Shina, and other smaller linguistic and ethnic groups, as well as Tibetan Muslims (often called refugees) who have been living in Srinagar since their exodus from Lhasa during the Chinese Communist oppression followed by a failed uprising against Chinese rule by Tibetans in 1959. The Kashmiri youth as a category is further differentiated by religious identities, encompassing Muslim, Hindu (Pandit), Sikh, and even a small Christian community (about 700) in Srinagar. Sociologically, it is noteworthy that discussions about Kashmiri youth often overlook female youth, which is a grave oversight. Consequently, the diverse identities within these demographics face unique challenges based on their local contexts and local issues and their exposure to modernity through new technologies, peer pressure, moral policing, community control, and economic pressures.

Growing up in the Shadows of Conflict: Scars of Suffering and Resilience

The prolonged conflict situation profoundly shaped the social and psychological landscape of youth in Kashmir. Their constant exposure to violence, militarization, uncertainty and instability fostered significant mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, and PTSD besides affecting their educational and career prospects. The prolonged suffering hindered their personal development and community engagement. However, amidst this adversity, many young individuals demonstrated remarkable resilience, finding ways to cope and assert their identities. Youth kept looking for community support networks, did grassroots activism and worked for cultural expressions that could serve as vital outlets for healing and empowerment. This duality—struggling with trauma while fostering resilience—highlights the complex interplay between conflict and the agency of Kashmiri youth in navigating their lived realities.

The decades of the turmoil shaped a plethora of social conflicts and a system collapse besides trauma, torture, labelling, security concerns and lastly a huge conflict fatigue that led to alienation of youth. Youth faced it to their worst and paid a huge cost of it in terms of the detrimental impact on their education, career and job prospects, financial progress and most importantly health and mental health aspects. Also stereotyping of Kashmiri youth and its associated stigma further exacerbated feelings of vulnerability in terms of isolation, marginalization and biases (exclusion) against them when studying or working outside Kashmir, leading to a cycle of mistrust and fear within them (a situation of Us versus them). They faced hardships due to security concerns and weakened community support systems, while conflict fatigue left them with a feeling of worthlessness thereby reducing their active engagement in peace building efforts. Such an ecosystem also got shaped due to lack of activism or any campus politics since there were hardly any student unions or elections in educational campuses that left youth choked and socially suffocated since there was hardly any scope for politics. The atmosphere of active politics and fearless political participation has now gained momentum in Kashmir and youth have significantly and positively responded to this change which can be seen by their overwhelming participation in the recently held assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir and reflects their yearning for change and peaceful life.

Kashmir’s Young Voices for Harmony and Peace

While a lot has changed in Kashmir valley, youth today are utilizing their agency to promote peace and harmony. They are fostering inter-community dialogue, conflict resolution, and justice at their levels. Youth are also playing a vital role in community service like digital crowd funding appeals for poor and medically ill poor patients; they are also playing an active role in cleanup drives to healthcare awareness and education on social media platforms. Kashmiri youth want to rebuild a sense of community ethos to recreate the social and cultural harmony of the past. Youth artists, too, are contributing to the peace process, using craft,music, poetry, and visual arts to advocate for social justice, raise awareness about the human cost of conflict, and express their unique identity. Digital activism has also gained momentum, with youth leveraging social media platforms to challenge stereotypes and promote understanding about the society in Kashmir. Kashmiri youth want to achieve peace at all costs and their efforts are a testament to their resilience and determination. In spite of the challenges they face, they are building a future rooted in positive peace, normalcy, and mutual respect.

Pressing Issues of Youth in Kashmir Today

Amidst rising unemployment and diminishing opportunities, many youths face a mental health crisis, with issues such as drug addiction becoming increasingly prevalent. This mounting challenge reflects not only personal struggles but also a broader societal malaise. The emerging youth voices in Kashmir now are unlocking the potential solutions and trying to shape the aspirations for a more hopeful future. To address the challenges at hand, it is essential to create platforms for dialogue, enabling youth to articulate their experiences, hopes, and aspirations, ultimately fostering a sense of agency and promoting pathways to healing and constructive engagement in the peace building process. The holding of elections after 10 years gap was much needed for the centre needed to demonstrate that normalcy has returned to the region after the 2019 changes. Even when the scale of attacks by armed groups has reduced, they have not stopped in total. Therefore to claim that terrorism has been completely wiped out is wrong given the fresh wave of attacks in central and north Kashmir.

The youth of Kashmir aspire to move toward peace, prosperity, and development while seeking redress for their basic issues. They voted overwhelmingly just to choose the leaders who really can advocate for their voices, dignity, and the creation of employment opportunities. On one hand they don’t feel it a challenge to navigate through digital landscapes and are ready to chart new career paths like their rising interest for civil services, research and teaching degrees but simultaneously feel demoralised due to lack of jobs in the region. A larger chunk of youth is trying for gulf countries for jobs too. They are worried for their free voices too since many of them still lie in jails, who need a second chance to shape their lives. Kashmiri youth are trying their best to amplify their voices, they are entering police and civil services, doing direct politics through active participation in politics, thus navigating the complexities of their political landscape, they voted as silent voters yet resolute participants, channelling their anger into a demand for democracy and free voices. Youth want the government to focus first on unemployment and then on the identity issues and then take deteriorating mental health situation seriously.

Last Word

Youth of Kashmir are yearning for change. Their hunger for youth-led activism and the youth driven solutions has the potential to unlock sustainable peace. They are speaking for peace, condemning violence and advocating for a transformative and peaceful future. They are rising and making conscious choices amid challenges that can be seen in their shift in voting behaviour from traditional political affiliations to rational choice voting. They are articulate on their issues and challenges and future conscious too and that is why, as young voters they increasingly prioritized their rational choices and youth leaders, unemployment and regional identity as their issues over familial loyalty to political parties in the recently held assembly elections in the union territory.

Therefore addressing Kashmiri youths challenges requires a holistic approach that fosters economic opportunities, promotes mental health awareness, works on drug de-addiction, promotes clinical psychology and counselling to address their mental trauma besides engaging them meaningfully to address their alienation. Youth need a constructive engagement in social, economic and political spheres, ultimately empowering them to navigate their circumstances and contribute positively to the society. The resilience and agency of Kashmiri youth today represents a significant shift towards fostering a culture of peace, suggesting that their involvement could play a transformative role in the broader socio-political landscape of Kashmir.

[Dr Adfer Rashid Shah is a New Delhi based Sociologist, George Greenia Research Fellow and Associate Editor at Eurasia Review. Mail at: adfer.syed[at]gmail.com]