Mehbooba observed that the youth who had studied hard, followed rules and aspired for a better life now see their dreams slipping away. “From Uttarakhand to Ladakh and across the border in Kashmir, Gen Z is rising. Because when your future feels bleak and your dreams are shattered, resistance knows no borders. These are young people who toiled for a future, studied hard, followed every rule and held on to a ray of hope. But now they see the promise of that future slipping away,” she said.