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 the following countries: 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.
List of assistant secretaries of state for South Asian affairs #NameAssumed officeLeft officePresident served under -Edward P. DjerejianEdward 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.August 24, 1992May 30, 1993George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton -James P. Covey The Senate did not act upon Covey's nomination and he never became Assistant Secretary.1Robin RaphelAugust 6, 1993June 27, 1997Bill Clinton2Karl InderfurthAugust 4, 1997January 19, 20013Christina B. RoccaJune 1, 2001February 17, 2006George W. Bush4Richard BoucherFebruary 21, 2006January 20, 20095Robert O. Blake, Jr.May 26, 2009October 20, 2013Barack Obama6Nisha Desai BiswalOctober 21, 2013January 20, 2017 -William E. Todd (Acting)January 20, 2017June 12, 2017Donald Trump -Alice G. Wells (Acting)June 26, 2017June 20, 2020 -Dean R. Thompson (Acting)January 20, 2021September 15, 2021Joe Biden7Donald LuSeptember 15, 2021January 20, 2025 -Eric Meyer (Acting)January 20, 2025August 19, 2025Donald Trump -Bethany Poulos Morrison (Acting)August 20, 2025October 22, 20258S. Paul KapurOctober 22, 2025Present
References
External links
A press release from the Department of State on the creation of the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs The biography of the current Assistant Secretary at the Department of State website. The Department of State's list of former Assistant Secretaries