Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs

United States
Assistant Secretary of State
for South and Central Asian Affairs

Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent
Nisha Desai Biswal
since October 21, 2013
Nominator Barack Obama
Inaugural holder Edward Djerejian
Formation 1992
Website Official Website

The Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs is the head of the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs within the United States Department of State, which handles U.S. foreign policy and relations in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

The position of Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs was renamed when responsibility for policy for five countries, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, was transferred from the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs to the Bureau of South Asian Affairs, which became the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. Richard A. Boucher was sworn in as the first to hold the current title on February 21, 2006 after the previous Assistant Secretary, Christina B. Rocca, left the Department.

List of Assistant Secretaries of State for South Asian Affairs

Name Assumed Office Left Office President served under
Edward P. Djerejian[1] August 24, 1992 George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton
James P. Covey [2]
Robin Raphel August 6, 1993 June 27, 1997 Bill Clinton
Karl Inderfurth August 4, 1997 January 19, 2001 Bill Clinton
Christina B. Rocca June 1, 2001 February 17, 2006 George W. Bush
Richard Boucher February 21, 2006 George W. Bush
Robert O. Blake, Jr. June 2, 2009 October 20, 2013 Barack Obama
Nisha Desai Biswal October 21, 2013 Barack Obama

References

  1. ↑ Edward P. Djerejian held the title of "Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs" from September 30, 1991. On August 24, 1992, he became Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs and Acting Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs. He was never formally Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs.
  2. ↑ The Senate did not act upon Covey's nomination and he never became Assistant Secretary.

External links

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