WASHINGTON: The once high-profile Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan will now work under the South and Central Asia Bureau of the State Department, the Trump Administration has said.
Established under the previous Obama Administration, the once high-profile office of Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan previously reported to the Secretary of States, but now has been brought under the umbrella of the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia.
The office, which had a separate set of staff, has now been merged with the South and Central Asia Bureau of the State Department.
However, the office of SRAP has not been abolished and there soon would a Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
"So SCA won't give birth to an entirely new office that will duplicate its activities. There may be someone who is brought in to be a new special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan who would just be an extra body to help with some of the issues that we're now facing. Obviously, it's a big job," State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters yesterday.
The SRAP Office has now been merged with SCA, Nauert said, adding that the staff and their work remains the same.
"We still have the same number of people. In fact, I was sitting with our team earlier today and I sat with them yesterday as well. So all that work is now still being done just by one department under SCA, South Central Asia,” she said.