Srinagar, June 19 -- It doesn't start with a shrill anymore. It starts with silence.

A boy rides his bike too fast down a lane in downtown Srinagar. A girl takes a pill she says helps her sleep. A student skips another class, eyes red, shoulders heavy.

You don't hear these things on the news. But this is how a generation dies.

Kashmiri youth are not just struggling. They're slipping. And we are looking the other way.

For decades, we've talked about conflict. About cross-border tensions, internet bans, lockdowns. But while we've watched the headlines, something else crept in. Something quieter and crueler: a sense of hopelessness.

Ask yourself: what happens to a young person who grows up under situational stress? Who never knows if ev...