As India’s youth spoke up, the message from across the border — you inspire us

A subcontinent divided by the politics of the past came together last week through the activism of a generation unhappy with the present and with a stake in the future. India’s Gen Z protests, triggered across the country by a movement launched by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), met with expressions of solidarity from young people across South Asia. The CJP movement was itself, in some ways, an echo of the Gen Z protests that began in Sri Lanka, went on to Bangladesh and then Nepal. The Indian youth upsurge, interestingly, was welcomed by young Pakistanis. It remains to be seen if it will inspire them to stand up for democracy in their own country. Brought together by posts on Instagram and news coverage on channels like the BBC and Al Jazeera, young people in Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan