From Pakistan to Nepal, India's Gen Z is 'josh' of the world

India's Gen Z protests over exam paper leaks drew support from Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal. The cross-border praise reflected how the movement's humour, unity and defiance resonated beyond India.India's Gen Z has always been stereotyped as a generation that is distracted, spends too much time doomscrolling, and is too used to laughing at everything and whatnot. However, over the past month, those supposed flaws became the strength of Gen Z as sustained protests humbled a government, forcing Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign over a spate of exam paper leaks. Memes replaced manifestos, reels became recruitment tools, and short videos became proof of police action. The movement has not only captured the fascination of India, but beyond its borders as well.The Gen Zs are known to have a short attention span. However, the explosion of attention from across neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal - some of which have witnessed Gen Z protests of their own - tells a tale of the impact of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests."Kahin pyaar na ho jaye... itna accha karoge toh main nafrat kaisey karoongi (I might just fall in love with India's Gen Z... If you keep doing such amazing things, how will I ever be able to hate you?)" a young Pakistani woman told the BBC. Divided by borders, united by Gen Z. That's the 'josh' of today's Gen Z.SRI LANKA, NEPAL PRAISE INDIA'S GEN ZThe love, admiration and awe for India's Gen Z protesters have flowed from Sri Lanka and Nepal as well. The protests have resonated with the Sri Lankan youth, who themselves led an uprising in 2022 over an economic crisis. That led to the toppling of the Rajapaksa regime. In Sri Lanka, the CJP protests have echoed through cartoons and Instagram stories. Earlier this week, Sri Lankan cartoonist Awantha Artigala posted a caricature of how the government was struggling to contain the "cockroaches". The ubiquitous 'Laxman Rekha' (seen in most Indian households to ward off cockroaches) was no match. Perhaps the image that travelled beyond Indian borders was that of a young Mumbai woman standing in the way of a police van, one hand pressed against it. The image of Rhiya Ahir has arguably come to define the students' movement. Several compared it to the iconic 'Tank Man' photograph of 1989 near China's Tiananmen Square."Vibing at another level," Swasthika Arulingam, a student of Sri Lanka Law College, posted on Facebook.Buwanaka Perera, an activist who took part in the 2022 Sri Lankan uprising, also posted a heartfelt message for the "many Indian friends across the pond"."The spark of the youth revolutions that was lit here, and spread across Asia, to which India seemed immune... yet after several years, to see the youth, and Indian citizens still believe in the India your founding fathers built... bring tears of joy," Perera posted on Instagram."From one youth protestor to another, keep going and never give up," he further said.Across the Himalayan border, Nepal too came out in support of India's Gen Z warriors. Avinash Mishra, a content creator based in Kathmandu, said the anger and the feelings of the protesters were valid and cannot be dismissed as an overreaction."Watching kids on the streets broke my heart then; it breaks my heart now," Mishra said, referring to the violent 2025 Gen Z protests in Nepal that eventually toppled the KP Oli government."Whatever you are feeling is valid; do not let anyone tell you that you are overreacting. Always remember what the goal is... it is easy to lose sight of what you are fighting for once the fight begins," Mishra said in a reel on Instagram.INDIA'S GEN Z GET LOVE FROM PAKISTANMost surprisingly, a flood of reactions came from Pakistan. Despite much water flowing under the bridge (if you know, you know), the messages from Pakistan were not of hostility, but admiration.After all, it was a moment that India will not forget anytime soon. Pradhan's resignation was a first in which a senior Modi government minister stepped down amid sustained street protests.And Pakistan, where dissent is hardly heard, seems to have fallen in love with India's 'cockroaches'."If we ever get the chance, we too should hit the streets like this. Cockroach Janta Party... they are really cool. They are not overly serious, and I like that," a Pakistani youth said."Gen Z ka koi muqabla nehi hai (no one can match Gen Z)," he further said. To buttress his point, he referred to a viral video in Mumbai where an attempt by the police to detain student protesters was foiled after a person casually opened the latch of the police van, allowing the youths to escape.Another youth urged Pakistan's own Gen Z to "take notes" from Indian students, pointing out how they stood together, ignoring religious and caste divides."Their unity was the biggest takeaway. It is a challenge in Pakistan as we are divided - Punjabis and Pashtuns, Sunnis and Shias. I don't think Pakistan's Gen Z can unite like this," he bluntly said.As the CJP protests gained steam, a familiar narrative was peddled. Were the protests funded by Pakistan? Pakistani content creator Bilal Hassan had a sarcastic take on this."People say that Pakistan funded the protests. We don't even have enough money to run our own country. How could we possibly fund them?" Hassan said.In the same vein, Hassan pointed out the challenges for Pakistan's Gen Z in mobilising support like Abhijeet Dipke (CJP founder) and gang."Your students are being (allegedly) beaten. In our country, people are simply picked up (by police). If you are a Baloch, you may not even know whether the person is alive or dead," he further said. " Here, people can be bought off for a plate of biryani."Perhaps what was endearing was several Pakistani youths openly saying that if given a chance, they would have probably joined their Indian peers at Jantar Mantar. A Pakistani woman told the BBC that her admiration was more about the courage shown by India's Gen Z."Several attempts have been made to stop them, but they still did not back down," she said."There was a policeman putting a protester into a van, saying, 'I will register a case against you'. The student replied, 'Yes, please do'. That's how change happens," the Pakistani woman said.Significantly, even editorials in Pakistani newspapers praised the students at Jantar Mantar.A columnist for the Express Tribune asked why a nation with its own history of economic frustration and political grievance hasn't produced a Gen Z movement of its own.An apt answer was given by Instagrammer Zai Aurangzib, who poignantly pointed towards Pakistan's "military dictatorship" as the key reason. "Our system is different... Students' unions in Pakistan were destroyed by General Zia-ul-Haq in the 1980s," he said.There is a reason why the youth protests resonated across the border. It was perfectly summed up by Bilal Hassan."We understand each other. We see ourselves in them. We are children of divorce (Partition) at the end of the day," Hassan said.As the CJP protests unfolded in the national capital, the scenes were unprecedented. For once, the world wasn't laughing at the videos and memes and slogans that were raised by India's Gen Z. As the reactions showed, the world was learning from India's Gen Z.- EndsPublished By: Abhishek DePublished On: Jul 26, 2026 14:35 IST