‘The people of Kashmir need healing from the deep wounds of this conflict, not subjugation to further violence and alienation’
If nature abhors a vacuum, so does journalism.
The Lancet, an international medical journal, has referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “prosperity” justification for the changes in Jammu and Kashmir and said the people there first need healing, not subjugation and alienation. The journal has also raised concerns about the mental health, safety and freedoms of the people of the Valley.
The journal adds medical heft to a list of reputable foreign publications that have stepped up at a time large sections of the Indian media have been accused of unquestioningly peddling the government version on the lockdown in Jammu and Kashmir.
In spite of the risk of a backlash, which did break out in India soon after, even a medical journal abroad has found it pertinent to ask uncomfortable questions although much of the Indian media has fought shy of doing so. The Lancet has defended its articulation in an email to The Telegraph.
The backlash on social media in India was triggered by a commentary in The Lancet, which said: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi vows that his decision to revoke autonomy will bring prosperity to Kashmir. But first, the people of Kashmir need healing from the deep wounds of this conflict, not subjugation to further violence and alienation.”
Kashmiris have faced curfews, detentions and suspended telephone and Internet links since August 5. Although some restrictions have been eased, several are still in place.
The journal has cited how, despite decades of instability, some development indicators suggest that Kashmir is doing well compared with the rest of India. Life expectancy in Kashmir in 2016, for instance, was 68.3 years for men and 71.8 years for women, higher than the national averages.
However, the journal said, protracted exposure to violence has led to a “formidable mental health crisis”.
A study by the international humanitarian agency, Medecins Sans Frontieres, in two rural districts affected by the conflict had found that nearly half of Kashmir’s people rarely felt safe and that of those who had lost a family member to violence, one in five had witnessed the death.
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