In the shadowed valleys of the Himalayas and the disputed heartlands of South Asia, a wave of generational defiance is sweeping through two nations, each with its own flavor of unrest and hope. In early November 2025, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) erupted with student-led protests, while just across the border, Nepal witnessed a political transformation as ten leftist parties merged into the new Nepali Communist Party, a move triggered by a dramatic Gen Z uprising only weeks prior. The parallels—and the contrasts—between these two stories tell us much about the power of youth, the fragility of old regimes, and the uncertain future of the region.
In Muzaffarabad, the capital of PoK, the spark was both mundane and explosive: university students at the University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (UAJK) were outraged by steep fee hikes and glaring discrepancies in their exam results. According to IANS, the introduction of a new digital assessment system—"e-marking"—at the matriculation and intermediate levels led to widespread confusion and anger. Results, released after a six-month delay, left thousands of students either with inexplicably low marks or, strangely, marked as having passed subjects they never sat for. The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education in Mirpur hastily formed a committee to review the process, but the damage was done.
As if the academic chaos wasn’t enough, the government imposed a hefty rechecking fee of Rs 1,500 per subject—an amount that, for many families in the region, was simply out of reach. The university administration, for its part, denied any 60% fee hike, insisting only a 10% annual increase was permissible and that a proposed Rs 1,000 transport fee adjustment had been immediately withdrawn. Yet, as reported by Kashmir Digital, the university suspended teaching at its Chella campus, citing the need to "ensure the safety and security of students, faculty, and staff," and called for law enforcement to address the escalating violence.
But the unrest was no longer just about education. What began as a campus protest quickly snowballed into a broader movement against corruption, unemployment, and perceived mismanagement—longstanding grievances in PoK. The tension boiled over on November 4, 2025, when gunfire broke out at the protest site, injuring a student. Eyewitnesses, according to Kashmir Digital, alleged that a man named Raja Mamoon Fahad opened fire in full view of nearby police officers, who did not intervene. Videos of the chaos spread like wildfire on social media, and soon students were burning tyres, blocking roads, and chanting slogans against the Shehbaz Sharif government and the Pakistan Army.
The administration’s response was swift and severe. The University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir banned student unions and political activities on campus—a move officials claimed was necessary to restore order, but which many saw as a blatant crackdown on student rights and political expression. News18 reported that India condemned this ban, calling it a violation of basic freedoms. New Delhi sources argued that the suppression of student unions, arbitrary arrests, and violent crackdowns exposed "the complete absence of civil liberties in the occupied region."
Support for the students came from the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), a coalition that had just weeks earlier led its own protests over economic grievances—demands for tax relief, cheaper electricity, and completion of development projects. Those demonstrations had ended in tragedy, with security forces opening fire and killing at least 12 civilians. The government, cornered, was forced to negotiate and concede to several of the JKJAAC's demands.
Observers have drawn striking parallels between the unrest in PoK and recent youth-led uprisings in Nepal and Bangladesh. In Nepal, a September protest against a social media ban rapidly escalated into a nationwide movement that toppled Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. The Himalayan nation witnessed two days of bloodshed, with at least 72 people killed, before appointing former Chief Justice Sushila Karki as interim Prime Minister. According to ANI, Karki dissolved the parliament and scheduled elections for March 5, 2026, setting the stage for a political reset.
But the aftershocks didn’t stop there. On November 5, 2025, ten leftist parties in Nepal—including the CPN-Maoist Center and the CPN-Unified Socialist, both led by former prime ministers—merged to form the new Nepali Communist Party. The unity declaration conference, inaugurated by Pushpa Kamal Dahal (known as Prachanda) and Madhav Kumar Nepal, endorsed a nine-point agreement and selected Prachanda as coordinator, with Madhav Kumar Nepal as co-coordinator. "Today's date in the history of Nepali communist movement has become a historic one because ten communist parties being merged into one is possibly the first of its kind in Nepal," Prachanda declared at the ceremony, as reported by ANI.
The new party, guided by Marxism-Leninism and adopting a five-pointed star as its symbol, plans to hold a National Unity Convention within six months and form a central committee by integrating the existing structures of the uniting parties. Madhav Kumar Nepal, the co-coordinator, stressed the importance of learning from past mistakes and winning back the people's trust. He urged Interim Prime Minister Karki to "move ahead with firmness, protecting the constitution," and to ensure that the upcoming election is "free, fair, impartial and peaceful."
Yet, not everyone is convinced. Critics, as noted by The Tribune, point out that several of the merging groups lack significant grassroots support, casting doubt on the immediate influence and effectiveness of the new party. Still, the sheer scale of the unification—bringing together ten parties under one banner—marks a turning point in Nepal’s political landscape.
Back in PoK, the Shehbaz Sharif government and Pakistan’s intelligence agencies are watching nervously. According to IANS, the specter of a Nepal-style youth uprising looms large: what starts as a protest over fees or results can morph into a mass movement against corruption and authoritarianism. The risk is not just local. Discontent in PoK could easily spill over into other restive regions, such as Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, especially if further crackdowns and human rights abuses occur. Each attempt to suppress dissent risks transforming isolated unrest into a nationwide movement—an outcome the authorities are desperate to avoid.
For now, the Sharif government is relying on policing and media control to keep the lid on the situation. But as recent events in Nepal and Bangladesh have shown, generational anger, frustration with corruption, and a thirst for genuine representation are forces that are hard to contain. Whether in the mountain passes of Nepal or the contested streets of Muzaffarabad, South Asia’s Gen Z is making it clear: their moment has arrived, and they’re not backing down quietly.
As the dust settles—if it ever truly does—these parallel stories of protest and political realignment serve as a reminder that history is often written by those who refuse to accept the status quo. The coming months will reveal whether these movements can translate outrage into lasting change, or whether old patterns will reassert themselves once more.
