US to permanently close Peshawar consulate near Afghan border

The United States is set to permanently shut down its consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, which has long served as the country's closest diplomatic post to the Afghan border and played an important operational and logistical role before, during and after the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan.

The US State Department informed Congress this week of its plan to close the mission and said the move would save approximately $7.5 million annually while not harming Washington's ability to pursue its national interests in Pakistan, reports AP.

The move has been under review for more than a year and began during the Trump administration's broader initiative to reduce the size of federal agencies.

According to the report, the decision is unrelated to the ongoing Iran war, which has recently sparked protests in several Pakistani cities, including Karachi and Peshawar. Those demonstrations previously forced US consulates in the cities to temporarily suspend operations.

Last year, the administration introduced sweeping cuts within the State Department that included laying off several thousand diplomatic personnel. The restructuring also involved the large-scale dismissal of staff from the US Agency for International Development, which was ultimately dismantled entirely.

Despite these widespread reductions, the Peshawar consulate will be the first US diplomatic mission overseas to be fully closed as part of the State Department's reorganisation plan.

According to the notification sent to Congress on Tuesday, the consulate currently employs 18 American diplomats and other government personnel, along with 89 locally hired staff members. The department expects the closure process to cost around $3 million.

More than half of that amount, approximately $1.8 million, will be spent relocating armoured trailers that had been used as temporary office spaces at the consulate.

The remaining funds will be used to transfer the consulate's vehicle fleet, electronic and telecommunications equipment, and office furniture to other US diplomatic facilities in Pakistan, including the US Embassy in Islamabad and the consulates in Karachi and Lahore.

Due to its location close to Afghanistan and Kabul, the Peshawar mission previously functioned as a key staging point for overland travel into Afghanistan. It also served as an important contact centre for American citizens in northwestern Pakistan and Afghan nationals seeking assistance from the US.

The State Department stated that consular services will now be handled by the US Embassy in Islamabad, located about 114 miles (184 kilometres) away.

"The closure would not adversely affect the mission's ability to advance core US national interests, assist US citizens, or to conduct adequate oversight of foreign assistance programs because all of those functions would continue to be performed by US Embassy Islamabad," it said.