The 15 Corps (Chinar Corps) organised a day-long conference on “Enhancing the Pride of Jammu and Kashmir State” at Badamibagh, Srinagar, on April 27, 2012. Army officers posted both within and outside Kashmir participated, and the then Northern Command chief delivered the inaugural speech. Students from the University of Kashmir and other colleges also attended. It was a rare occasion where young boys and girls were given the freedom to openly discuss the issues confronting them. During the question–answer session, the young officers spoke about their experiences in Kashmir in dealing with human and state security concerns. Much was gained, and a great deal of ground was covered.

The fact remains that where there is secrecy, youth suspect conspiracy. The remedy lies in more conversation and less secrecy.

Discussion at 15 Corps

By the end of the conference, the discussants largely agreed that while the Indian state must engage in bridge-building to remove the trust deficit in Centre–State relations, the youth of Kashmir must also come forward and become part of the larger Indian success story.

This was also a period when many Kashmiri students had begun cracking the Indian Civil Services Examination, some even securing top ranks. The panellists—senior bureaucrats, retired army officers, and academics—agreed that the shift in Kashmir must be from the critical domain to the psychological domain, which is people-specific and fundamentally youth-centric.

Many officers addressed the students directly, saying that they possessed both “Surat” and “Seerat” (Appearance and Essence) and could help guide Kashmir towards new heights. They assured them that transformation was knocking at their door.

It was also agreed that the real “work under construction” is the mind of the youth, and that we must move from the physical plane to the mind plane—from roadmaps to mind maps. The dying Kashmiriyat must be safeguarded, and the youth are its first custodians.

These recollections resurfaced in my mind when, on November 10, 2025, the Red Fort blast........

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