Even as the Central government is trying hard to paint a picture of normalcy in Kashmir post the abrogation of Article 370 earlier this month, prestigious medical journal Lancet has raised serious concerns over the health, safety and freedom of the Kashmiri people.
An editorial titled “Fear and uncertainty around Kashmir's future” published in the Lancet on August 16 states that though Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed that his decision to revoke autonomy will usher in prosperity, the people of Kashmir “need healing from the deep wounds”of the decades-old conflict, and “not subjugation to further violence and alienation”. In a sharp critique of the abolition of Article 370, the editorial says that the security lockdown and blackout of communication raises “serious concerns” for the health, safety and freedom of the Kashmiri people.
However, a section of doctors from the IMA have taken umbrage to the medical journal's position and mandate to state its opinion on the issue. In a letter to the Lancet editor Richard Horton, the IMA has said that the journal has committed a breach of propriety by commenting on the political issue. “It is amounting to interference into an internal matter of (sic) Union of India...The Lancet has reacted to an internal administrative decision of the government of India under the garb of concern for the health of Kashmiris,” the letter signed by the president and the general secretary of IMA said.
“Generations of Indians, especially the doctors and medical students will carry the unpleasant memory of this act of commission by 'The Lancet',” the letter said, questioning, as it termed, the “malafide intention” of the journal. “The Indian Medical Association on behalf of the medical fraternity of India, withdraws the esteem we had for The Lancet,” it said.
The political opinion of the Lancet has caused controversy before as well. In 2014, The Lancet, a weekly peer-reviewed journal, that is also among the world's oldest and most prestigious, had published “An open letter for the people in Gaza”, written by doctors and scientists who denounced the “aggression of Gaza by Israel”. The publication of the letter led to a fierce division of opinion among the medical fraternity—some even called it “anti-semitic”—led to “unprecedented criticism” of the publication and a call for boycotting The Lancet by certain groups.
In the current editorial, the editors state that the despite the decades of instability, developmental indicators suggest that Kashmir is doing well compared to the rest of the country, particularly with respect to a higher life expectancy. However, the prolonged exposure to violence had led to a “formidable mental health crisis” in the Valley. “A Médecins Sans Frontières study in two rural districts affected by conflict stated that nearly half of Kashmiris rarely felt safe and of those who had lost a family member to violence, one in five had witnessed the death firsthand. Therefore, it is unsurprising that people in the region have increased anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder,” the editorial said.
