The US State Department will permanently close its consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, which has been America’s closest diplomatic mission to the Afghan border and was a primary operations and logistics point before, during and after the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan. The department notified Congress this week of its intent to close the consulate and said it would save USD 7.5 million per year, while not adversely affecting its ability to advance US national interests in Pakistan.

 

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 Iran war, which has sparked protests in various Pakistani cities, including Karachi and Peshawar, where the US consulates temporarily suspended operations. The Peshawar consulate, however, is the first overseas diplomatic mission to be closed down entirely because of the State Department’s reorganisation.