Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has responded to an old video showing a Gen Z tourist confronting security personnel after her group was held up for several hours at a checkpoint in Dras, Kargil district.
The woman was stopped near the Minimarg check post in Dras after local police restricted movement on the Minimarg-Zoji La-Sonamarg route.
In the video, recorded in July, the woman can be seen angrily confronting security personnel as a crowd gathered at the location. She declares, “We are Gen Z. We won’t tolerate this nonsense,” before turning towards other tourists and asking them whether they were ready to leave.
As the tourists responded together, she encouraged them to get back into their vehicles. She said they had already been waiting for five hours and urged everyone to start their cars and leave.
Several tourists cheered her during the confrontation, with some expressing appreciation for her willingness to speak out.
The woman also said tourists visit the region after spending money and should not have to tolerate such treatment. She alleged that similar behaviour had been directed at Kashmiris and claimed that outsiders were now facing it as well.
Reacting to the footage, Omar Abdullah compared the woman’s statement, “we are Gen Z”, to the familiar phrase, “jaantay nahin ho mera baap kaun hai” (You don’t know who my father is).
Abdullah cautioned that using Gen Z identity as a threat over relatively minor grievances could damage the positive perception associated with the generation.
He said, “The quickest way to erode any Gen Z goodwill is to start using it as a threat at the slightest perceived affront.”
Road closures and travel restrictions are relatively common in the Kargil region, particularly on routes affected by weather conditions, security requirements and road-related concerns.
