HOUSTON: Kashmiri Pandits in the US have slammed an editorial in a popular medical journal on the health and safety of people in Kashmir, asking the weekly publication to retract the piece or publish a viewpoint that includes a more thorough analysis on the matter.
Medical journal- The Lancet- published the editorial "Fear and Uncertainty Around Kashmir's Future" on August 16 that raised concerns over the health, security and freedom of the people of the region.
The write up states that people of Kashmir "need healing from the deep wounds" of the decades-old conflict, and "not subjugation to further violence and alienation".
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It further states that the security lockdown and blackout of communication raises "serious concerns" for the health, safety and freedom of the Kashmiri people.
The Lancet editorial came after the Indian government revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated it into two union territories.
The editorial triggered strong reactions from doctors residing in various parts of the US and associated with the Kashmir Overseas Association (KOA), a non-profit socio-cultural organization of Kashmiri Pandits.
In an open letter on Thursday, the KOA members asked the journal's editor-in-chief Richard Horton to immediately retract the article or publish a viewpoint that includes a more thorough set of facts and analysis on Kashmir, particularly "the medical and psychological consequences of the ethnic cleansing experienced by Kashmiri Pandits."
"We are deeply disappointed that your opinion omits many relevant facts, and thus represents an intellectually dishonest analysis of a complex geopolitical issue," the letter stated.