The U.S. State Department announced on Wednesday that it would permanently close its Consulate General in Peshawar in stages. This is a sign of a big change in the way diplomacy works in the region. Washington said that all duties for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province would be moved to the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad. This was done to protect the safety of diplomats and make resource management easier. The decision comes after a rough time in Pakistan, when there was more militant activity along the Afghan border and violent protests in March that saw protesters break through the outer walls of the U.S. Consulate in Karachi. For decades, the Peshawar mission has been an important logistical center, especially when the U.S. was in Afghanistan. However, officials stressed that this restructuring has been in the works for more than a year and is expected to save about $7.5 million a year.
Even though the State Department is no longer in the provincial capital, it says that its “policy priorities in Pakistan remain steadfast.” Now, the capital, which is about 184 kilometers away, will handle diplomatic outreach to the people of KP from afar. The focus will be on regional security and economic ties. This closing is the first time that a U.S. diplomatic post abroad has been completely closed since the current administration started cutting back on the size of its agencies. The U.S. says the move has nothing to do with the ongoing joint war against Iran, but the timing shows how dangerous it is getting for foreign missions in the area. The closing of the consulate, which was the closest American post to the Afghan border, means the end of a time when the U.S. was directly involved in one of the world’s most strategically important areas. This is what people in Peshawar and local officials think.
