Washington– The US State Department decided to permanently close the US Consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, which was the closest US diplomatic mission to the Afghan border and was the primary operations and logistics point before, during and after the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan.
The department notified Congress this week of its intention to close the consulate, saying it would save $7.5 million annually while not negatively impacting its ability to advance U.S. national interests in Pakistan, according to a copy of the notification obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The move has been under consideration for more than a year since the Trump administration began downsizing nearly all federal agencies and is not related to the order. Iran warwhich it has sparked protests In various Pakistani cities, including Karachi and Peshawar, where US consulates temporarily suspended operations.
The administration’s cuts to the State Department last year included the dismissal of several thousand diplomatic staff and the almost complete dismissal of employees of the US Agency for International Development, which it completely dismantled. However, the Peshawar Consulate is the first diplomatic mission abroad to be completely closed due to the reorganization of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Peshawar consulate employs 18 US diplomats and other government employees and 89 local employees, according to the notice dated Tuesday, which said the ministry would spend $3 million to close it. More than half of that amount, $1.8 million, will go toward moving costs for armored trailers that served as temporary office space, she said.
The notice said the rest would be allocated to transporting the consulate’s fleet of cars, electronic equipment, communications equipment and office furniture to the US Embassy in Islamabad and the remaining consulates in Karachi and Lahore.
Because of her Proximity to the Afghan border In Kabul, the Peshawar Consulate served as a major staging point for overland travel to Afghanistan, as well as a point of contact for US citizens in northwest Pakistan and Afghan nationals requesting US assistance.
The notice said that consular services for American citizens and others would be handled by the embassy in Islamabad, which is about 114 miles (184 kilometers) away.
She added, “The closure will not negatively impact the mission’s ability to advance core U.S. national interests, assist American citizens, or conduct adequate oversight of foreign assistance programs because all of these functions will continue to be performed by the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad.”