Veteran US Diplomat and Pakistan Expert under FBI Investigation

According to The Washington Post, US Diplomat Robin L. Raphel is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in regards to undisclosed allegations.

It is speculated that the long-standing Pakistan expert is being investigated on charges of counter-intelligence, which basically means she has been alleged to by spying on the US on behalf of other countries.

Pending the investigation Robin L. Raphel has been placed on administrative leave, with her office also sealed and her security clearance revoked.

Following the report, the State Department acknowledged an ongoing investigation and conveyed that it’s cooperating with the law enforcement agencies.

Ms. Raphel’s most recent assignment involved coordinating non-military assistance to Pakistan, given her long-standing experience in the region. She was initially appointed as the first US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs in 1993, following which she held different diplomatic positions.

She was also part of Richard Holbrooke’s Af-Pak team in 2009, and was in favor of engaging the Taliban in Afghanistan. Her work towards improving relations between US and Pakistan also earned her respect in the latter country, though she was not as popular in India due to her stance on the Kashmir dispute.

Ms. Raphel was the wife of Arnold Lewis Raphel, the US ambassador to Pakistan who died in the plane crash which killed the military ruler General Zia-ul-Haq.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=49942

Posted by Hunain Naseer on Nov 7 2014. Filed under Latest News, USA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.