Dear Esteemed Colleague,

Greetings from ASI Headquarter.

Please find below a letter written by ASI to the editor of “The Lancet” in response to a very biased and politically motivated editorial on Kashmir Issue in the 17th August 2019 of “The lancet”.

Mr. Richard Horton
Editor–in-Chief
The Lancet

Dear Mr. Richard Horton

At the very outset, on behalf of The Association of Surgeons of India, which is Asia Pacific’s largest and world’s second largest Surgical Association that represents the surgical fraternity all across India, we strongly condemn the Editorial board of Lancet for having approved the publication of the Editorial “Fear and uncertainty around Kashmir future”, which featured on 17th August 2019 in Lancet.

The contents of the editorial are factually incorrect, politically motivated, prejudiced, unsubstantiated and downright racist. We question the stand that the Journal has taken on this most sensitive issue, where neither the author nor the Editorial board of Lancet have an insight regarding the background and circumstances that led the Narendra Modi led Govt. of India to take the bold decision to revoke Article 370.

Kashmir is an integral part of India and Lancet has no business to comment on a political issue & a political decision that concerns an internal matter concerning the Republic of India. The Editorial is totally out of context and has been written in bad taste, which has hurt the feelings of billions of Indians living world over. We demand an immediate withdrawal of the editorial from the online version of the Journal and an unconditional apology from the editorial board to be printed prominently in the next issue of the journal.

Yours Sincerely


Prof. (Dr.) Arvind Kumar
President, 2019

Dr. P. Raghu Ram
Vice President (President elect), 2019

It is shocking that a reputed medical journal like lancet instead of publishing medical research is devoting its precious space to politically motivated and biased stories.

ASI has written an appropriate reply and has asked for an apology from them. We request all of you to please circulate this letter as widely as possible and write as many emails as possible to Mr. Richard Horton, Editor of Lancet at [email protected]

He needs to know the might of our nation.

With Best Wishes and Warmest Personal regards

Prof. (Dr.) Arvind Kumar
President
The Association of Surgeons of India