Omar Abdullah reacts to tourist's old 'We are Gen Z' video after it goes viral

Omar Abdullah has reacted to an old video showing a tourist confronting security personnel after a long halt at a Dras checkpoint.Omar Abdullah reacts to tourist’s old ‘We are Gen Z’ video after it goes viral (Photos: DesiEsco/X) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has reacted to an old video of a Gen Z tourist lashing out at security personnel after her group was stopped for hours at a checkpoint in Dras, Kargil district.The woman was stuck near the Minimarg check post in Dras after being stopped by local police due to travel restrictions on the Minimarg-Zoji La-Sonamarg road.In the video from July, the woman is seen aggressively confronting personnel as a crowd gathered at the spot. “We are Gen Z. We won’t tolerate this nonsense,” she says before turning to the other tourists and asking, “Aap log chaloge ki nahi chaloge (Will you all leave or not)?”As the tourists responded in unison, she urged them to get into their vehicles. “Toh chalo, baitho gaadi mein. Paanch ghante ho gaye hain. Nikalo sabki gaadi aur chalo (Then come on, get into your cars. It has been five hours. Let’s leave),” she said. Meanwhile, several tourists cheered her on during the commotion, as some appreciated her for speaking up.“Hum log paise deke ghoomne aate hain, yeh sab tolerate karne nahi aate. Kashmiriyo ke saath toh karte hi hain, ab baahar ke tourist ke saath bhi karne lage hain (We come here after paying to travel, not to tolerate all this. They do this with Kashmiris and have now started behaving like this with other tourists also),” she said. Reacting to the video, Omar Abdullah said the woman’s use of “we are Gen Z” was reminiscent of the phrase “jaantay nahin ho mera baap kaun hai (You don’t know who my father is)." He warned that invoking Gen Z identity as a threat over minor grievances could undermine the goodwill associated with the generation.Abdullah said, “The quickest way to erode any Gen Z goodwill is to start using it as a threat at the slightest perceived affront.”This “we are Gen Z” has become the new “jaantay nahin ho mera baap kaun hai”. The quickest way to erode any Gen Z goodwill is to start using it as a threat at the slightest perceived affront. https://t.co/ya5OJTgxIn— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) August 19, 2026Meanwhile, the Indian Army has clarified that the incident had nothing to do with its personnel.“It was a police check post and nothing to do with the Army,” the Army said.Roadblocks and travel restrictions are not uncommon in the Kargil region, particularly on routes affected by weather, security requirements and road conditions.- Ends(With inputs from Mir Fareed)Published On: Aug 19, 2026 17:19 IST