Washington:  As Nisha Desai Biswal officially became Washington's first Indian-American pointperson for South and Central Asia last week, her boss mentioned that she is known as "somebody who speaks softly and carries a big stick".

But whether it was with her soft speech or her big stick, Biswal's efforts to bring peace between the feuding begums of Bangladesh even before she was formally sworn in won praise from US Secretary of State John Kerry.

"This week in Bangladesh, Nisha showed how she never misses a chance to speak up or stand up for America's values," Kerry said, recalling her meetings with both Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and opposition leader Khaleda Zia.

"She spoke forcefully about the need for leaders to rise above partisan differences and find a peaceful way towards the ballot box," said Kerry, who first met Biswal in 2004 when she was volunteering on his presidential campaign.