On September 28, 2016 The White House, Office of the Press Secretary released Statement by NSC Spokesperson Ned Price on National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice’s Call with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval of India that reads as follows:

“National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice spoke today by phone with Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.  Ambassador Rice strongly condemned the September 18 cross-border attack on the Indian Army Brigade headquarters in Uri and offered condolences to the victims and their families.  Ambassador Rice affirmed President Obama’s commitment to redouble our efforts to bring to justice the perpetrators of terrorism throughout the world.  Highlighting the danger that cross-border terrorism poses to the region, Ambassador Rice reiterated our expectation that Pakistan take effective action to combat and delegitimize United Nations-designated terrorist individuals and entities, including Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Jaish-e-Muhammad, and their affiliates.  In the context of the robust U.S.-India partnership, Ambassador Rice discussed our shared commitment with India to pursuing peace and regional stability and pledged to deepen collaboration on counterterrorism matters including on UN terrorist designations.” (LINK: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/09/28/statement-nsc-spokesperson-ned-price-national-security-advisor-susan-e )

It is interesting to note that the term “cross border terrorism” was used twice – once in context of Uri Army Base attack. Without any investigation being conducted, it is strange for US to issue such a serious statement. On September 21, 2016 The Economic Times, India) stated undertaking of DNA test from slain four militants by NIA. It states and I quote, “We are examining all possibilities and role of an insider cannot be ruled out,” says a senior NIA official adding that the four militants had some local support that may have been arranged by their handlers.” The same source goes on to state, “Agency sources say that NIA would adopt a 2-pronged strategy to investigate the case. One to find out how the Army lines were breached and the other whether there were insiders passing on crucial information to the enemy. The second would be to look into the perpetuators of the attack. Is it possible that the militants received local support using which they managed to gain entry into the airbase by cutting barbed wire,” the official said.”

Another report by The Indian Express, dated September 22, 2016, states, “Officials of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), probing Sunday’s terror attack on the Army camp in Uri which left 18 soldiers dead, believe that the terrorists spent at least a day in the mountains above the brigade headquarters complex, observing their target.” The same source goes on to state, “Investigation sources said their hopes of proving that the terrorists began their journey in Pakistan now rest on retrieving data from a damaged Global Positioning System (GPS) set recovered from the attack site.”

Note that sources quoted are September 21, and September 22 respectively whereas The White House Statement is released on September 28 when the investigation is neither completed nor the reports in. Once investigation is completed, either way, the results must be shared with Pakistan. Are we not jumping the gun here, my friends from US and India?

It is important not only for justice to be served but it is equally important for justice to be seen to be served!

Mushtaque Siddiqi, Editor English weekly “Pulse” and former Executive Director, ARY Television states, “I am shocked to see that the Indian National Security Advisor Doval was able to “convince” the US NSA Ambassador Rice, who is also a senior diplomat of her country, in making a highly undiplomatic statement.  Isn’t this something which still needs to be established on the basis of evidence, which is yet to be collected by the Indian government and the army? I strongly feel that Pakistan does not need any further evidence to conclude that India and the US have joined hands in formulating a collective policy for the region — especially for China, Pakistan and several others in the region.  If we follow both the countries closely, we will clearly note that they are using identical or sometimes the very same talking points on issues and incidents of their interest in the region or related to Pakistan. “

Interestingly, no observation is made or  strong condemnation offered on Indian atrocities in OIK. Unprovoked firing at LOC in Kel and Lipa sectors began at 2:30 AM and continued until 8:00 AM, on early morning hours of 29^th September 2016, ISPR said. Two Pakistani soldiers embraced Shahadat as a result- with no word of “cross border terrorism” by US to state an immediate example. A tweet by AFP at 11:49 am on 29^th September states: “#Breaking: India carries out ‘surgical strikes’ along Kashmir frontier: army.”This has been strongly denied by Pakistan. LoC violations have happened before. However, war hype created by India certainly does not show her as a responsible nuclear state.

Regarding the second part of the release about Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Jaish-e-Muhammad, and their affiliates. Muazz Ahsan, Director Programming GEO News says the following, “Inaction or no response is not a strategy. The UN has banned these organizations so either we agree with the UN or we do not. If we agree, we must take every possible action to make sure that we are not seen by the world as a state that is protecting individuals or organizations that the UN considers terrorist.

Alternatively, if we do not agree with the UN we must stand with these organizations and fight their case on every international platform. So this continuous Indian propaganda and blackmailing ends.

This is why Pakistan has to pick from one of these two options :

1. We have already banned the orgs. and individuals associated with them are also under arrest, facing trial.
2. These are not banned org, in fact involved in a large-scale charity work across Pakistan. Therefore, the UN ban is not legitimate/fair.”

The statement by the representatives of the two countries is a clear indication of new alliance in light of regional interests in exclusion to investigation report.

My question is: what is our Foreign Office doing over time and more specifically now? That this is a serious joint statement let no one doubt.

The writer is a lawyer, academic and political analyst. She has authored a book, ‘A Comparative Analysis of Media and Media Laws in Pakistan.’ She may be contacted at [email protected] and tweets at @yasmeen_9