Weaning the youth of Jammu and Kashmir away from violence and strife in what was once a severely controlled and restrictive environment till some years ago has been a mission for the UT administration and the Centre.

Till a while back, J&K was identified as a region of youth-backed uprisings and unmitigated terrorist-cum-militant violence.
Then, it was an iconic sight to see protesting students, including millennials, taking on the mantle of a decade’s long struggle for so called self-determination even as they, and many others, were simultaneously being mowed down by extremely brutal militancy and, or being eliminated in encounters with Indian security forces.
This scenario of violence and “Azadi”-related protests was particularly severe between 2013 and 2018, when a young and educated Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HuM) militant, Burhan Wani, achieved Robin Hood-like status as the face of the indigenous struggle of Kashmiris.
For example, in 2015, images of young Kashmiri boys brandishing guns in the jungles and orchards of South Kashmir left the local civilian population, state administration and the Centre in a state of shock and horror. The belief that the insurgency of the late 1980s & 1990s had been contained and that young Kashmiris were getting increasingly disenchanted with violence, was exposed as an untruth. Add to that was the worrying use of social media to express discontent.
According to an ORF report, “Until those pictures came out, there was little public discourse about local militancy…..The new crop of militants, however—armed with the power of instant fame through social media—seemed more eager to make a public display of their involvement in an armed jihad.”
“Burhan Wani’s poignant life story and foray into militancy became a catalyst for fresh recruitments….After Wani, many young boys who had not (even) reached adulthood at the time of recruitment joined various extremist outfits.” More and more children and youth were seen taking part in street protests and enforcing shutdowns. Terrorists and militants were using juveniles as “tools of propaganda and to recruit more young boys into their ranks.”
Of course, this was logically countered by security forces. The absence of a mechanism for juvenile justice, allowed security forces to heavy handedly throw caution to the winds in not differentiating between children and adults during their elimination drive. It caused a lot of anger among the people of the Kashmir Valley and, exposed the then government’s failure to rehabilitate and steer the young back into mainstream society.
Data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) reveals a mixed bag in terrorist-cum-militant fatalities. From a peak of 2,345 being eliminated in 2001, terrorist-cum-militant fatalities dropped to a low of 84 in 2012, increased again for six consecutive years: 100 (2013), 114 (2014), 115 (2015), 165 (2016), 220 (2017), 271 (2018). In 2019, declined to 163, but increased again to 232 in 2020. In both 2021 and 2022, 193 terrorists (including during infiltration) were killed, while in 2023, around 30 militants have been gunned down, suggesting a decline of around 78 percent in such killings as compared to 2022. Since 1988, around 24,000 terrorists have been killed in J&K.
Contrastingly, security forces have lost around 6,636 personnel since 1988. After recording an all-time high of 638 in 2000, security force fatalities came down to 30 in 2022. The lowest tally of 18 was recorded in 2012. Fatalities in this category have been in continuous decline since 2019.
Till a while back, it was common knowledge that Kashmiri men, women and children often distracted Indian forces to help terrorists and militants to escape. Showing and expressing solidarity with militants to realise so-called self-determination was courting danger in the extreme. It is only now, post August 5, 2019, that we see with relief a much desired move towards less violence, less protests, peace, socio-economic stability and development on several fronts.
The UT administration’s signature “Mission Youth” initiative is one of many schemes introduced to ensure that the youth of Kashmir have access to a vibrant medium for engagement to facilitate and empower themselves to a level where they can emerge and become ambassadors of peace, prosperity and socio-economic growth.
The targeted sections are all individuals aged between 15 to 35 years. The objective of government is to effectively support and encourage young individuals to fulfil their potential and aspire for a better future.
At the core of the mission is the belief that Kashmir’s young “should be respected, valued and listened to”. They must be supported and encouraged in their personal and social relationships and facilitated in developing their innate abilities and talents for their benefit and overall in the society in which the