In August 2019, the Indian government announced that it was revoking Article 370 of the Indian Constitution concerning Jammu and Kashmir. This Article granted special status to the region that gave it limited autonomy – such as its own constitution, a separate flag and the ability to form its own laws.

Shortly after this announcement on 17 August 2019, The Lancet published an editorial, Fear and uncertainty around Kashmir’s future, outlining “the concerns for the health, safety, and freedoms of the Kashmiri people”, the impacts of ongoing violence and conflict on health, and the human rights violations taking place.  

In collaboration with the People’s Health Movement North America and the People’s Health Movement UK, we sent the following letter to The Lancet expressing our support for their publication of this important editorial:

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Last year, Kashmiri student and Medact member Neelam Iqbal wrote for the Medact blog on ‘War, violence and the mental health crisis in Kashmir‘. 

If you have relevant experience or would like to contribute to our work in this area, please get in touch – [email protected]