Quickest way to erode Gen Z goodwill is to use it as a threat: J&K CM Omar

Quickest way to erode Gen Z goodwill is to employ it as a threat: J&K CM Omar His remarks came in response to an undated video in which a young woman could be seen raising her voice against the Ladakh Police at a checkpoint.

Key points

• Abdullah wrote: This 'we are Gen Z' has become the new 'jaantay nahin ho mera baap kaun hai'.
• The woman's remarks against the Army have drawn criticism from former Army officers who remarked her behaviour towards men in uniform was uncalled for.
• Abdullah was commenting on a video in which a young woman could be seen raising her voice against the Ladakh police at a checkpoint.
• This "we are Gen Z" has become the new "jaantay nahin ho mera baap kaun hai".
• The woman staged a dharna at the checkpost and did not allow even an Army convoy to proceed towards a transit camp.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. File Photo Credit: Imran Nissar.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday (August 19, 2026) cautioned that using the 'Gen Z' tag as a threat will swiftly lead to the erosion of any goodwill for the youth.

Mr. Abdullah was commenting on a video in which a young woman could be seen raising her voice against the Ladakh police at a checkpoint. The girl in the video remarked, "We are Gen Z and we are not going to tolerate this."

Reacting to the video on X, Mr. Abdullah wrote: "This 'we are Gen Z' has become the new 'jaantay nahin ho mera baap kaun hai'. The quickest way to erode any Gen Z goodwill is to start using it as a threat at the slightest perceived affront."

This "we are Gen Z" has become the new "jaantay nahin ho mera baap kaun hai". The quickest way to erode any Gen Z goodwill is to start using it as a threat at the slightest perceived affront.

In the undated video which surfaced on social media, the woman was aggrieved regarding being ceased near Minimarg in the Ladakh region, a place famous for being the gateway between Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

She asserted that the residents had been created to wait there for five hours. "We pay from our pockets to visit and they are doing this to us. Earlier they applied to do this to Kashmiris (only), now they are doing it with tourists as well, " she went on.

Meanwhile, the woman staged a dharna at the checkpost and did not allow even an Army convoy to proceed towards a transit camp. The situation was brought under control after the district authorities convinced her.

Meanwhile, the woman's remarks against the Army have drawn criticism from former Army officers who remarked her behaviour towards men in uniform was uncalled for.

Taken together, the developments around quickest way to erode Gen Z goodwill is to use it as point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.