Srinagar, April 23 -- A lab technician applying for a sweeper's post has stirred strong reactions in Kashmir. Political leaders rushed to present the case as proof of rising unemployment and deep public despair. The story touched a nerve because it exposed a larger crisis that society has refused to confront with honesty.

Kashmir's educated youth continue to see government employment as the only respectable path in life, even as the economy moves in a very different direction.

That mindset now stands at the center of the problem.

Colleges, coaching centers, universities, and private institutions continue to produce thousands of graduates every year. Government departments cannot absorb such enormous numbers. Recruitment exams arrive la...