If I were to sum up Home Minister Amit Shah’s two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir; he beckoned all the stakeholders, particularly the elected government, to take the frontline role in reshaping the territory with a futuristic outlook, engagement with youth as the guiding principle.

It was an echo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision that he unveiled in Srinagar more than 11 years ago – to be precise on December 8, 2014, when he committed himself to developing J&K as a model state with delivering peace through big engagement with Kashmiri youth. He had made a specific reference to Kashmiri cricketing sensation Pervez Rasool.

Engagement with youth is seen as a core area where much needed to be done. The incomprehensible devastation that Jammu and Kashmir suffered for more than 30 years from late 1980s till late into second decade of 2000s. The youth of Kashmir has been exploited to the hilt during that period and by the time they woke up to the new reality, it was too late in the day. Further time should not be wasted as the youth needs to be involved in the nation-building, and this task is more important in J&K than elsewhere.

Home Minister exhorted the security agencies and the administration that youth engagement be taken to next level after he noted “the efforts for de-radicalization have seen major success in accelerating the vision for terror-free J&K.” His stress was on taking “major initiatives in building........

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