India, Jan. 5 -- From rent to recruitment, Kashmir's young people are facing a crisis the leaders cannot ignore. 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 s...