The latest revelations under the United States Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) show that the Government of Pakistan hired major lobbying firms in the United States to support Pakistani government efforts at diplomacy as part of and in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, a military response by the Indian government to the Pahalgam terror attack of April 2025. The revelations show the measures taken by the Pakistani government to raise its voice in the United States’ political and media circles.
Who Was Hired and Why
As indicated through formal Department of Justice reports, Pakistan contracted a number of American lobbying and consulting companies, such as Javelin Advisors and Squire Patton Boggs (SPG), to relay Islamabad’s messages to key lawmakers and media representatives inside the US.
Javelin Advisors
Founded by former Trump Organization executive George Sorial and former Trump bodyguard Keith Schiller.
Pakistan hired Javelin in April 2025 for $50,000 a month to promote its narrative and outreach activities. The company contacted senior US lawmakers such as Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries during this time.
Squire Patton Boggs (SPG)
A respected global company that headed efforts to reach out to over a dozen members of the US House of Representatives, mostly in relation to international affairs and South/Central Asian issues.
SPG distributed an informational notice in which they defended Pakistan’s policy, denied involvement in the terror attack in Pahlagam, and blamed India for encouraging terrorism in Pakistan, which Pakistan itself denies.
SPG reports further included endorsements of mediation between both India and Pakistan by US leaders.
Hindustan Times Both companies also continued to maintain links with the top US media outlets, such as journalists from the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, through what came to be known as narrative outreach narratives as the operation continued or concluded.
Scale and Spending of the Lobbying Campaign
Public disclosures show that Pakistan’s effort was intensive and costly:
- Documents filed under FARA and reported in US media indicate the country spent approximately ₹45 crore (nearly $5 million) on American lobbying firms for access to the Trump administration, members of Congress and policy influencers after Operation Sindoor began.
- Pakistan’s diplomatic outreach included nearly 60 contacts with US officials — spanning emails, phone calls and in-person meetings — aimed at securing external mediation, de-escalating military tensions and shaping how the conflict was understood in Washington.
These lobbying efforts took place against the backdrop of heightened geopolitical friction between India and Pakistan, with Islamabad seeking US engagement and intervention to halt further escalation.
Context: Operation Sindoor and Diplomatic Pressure
Operation Sindoor—launched after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, 2025—involved swift Indian air strikes on militant infrastructure across the Line of Control. The operation heightened regional tensions and prompted Pakistan’s urgent appeal to the United States for diplomatic support.
The FARA filings suggest that Pakistan’s lobbying drive was motivated by what Islamabad saw as an urgent need for Washington’s engagement to mitigate military escalation. Contacts with senior US officials and lawmakers were described as crisis diplomacy outreach — a bid to influence American perspectives during volatile days of conflict.
Comparative Diplomatic Engagement
While Pakistan’s lobbying campaign was extensive, public records also show that the Indian Embassy in Washington engaged a US lobby firm — SHW Partners LLC, led by former Trump adviser Jason Miller — to strengthen official communication relating to trade talks and media outreach around Operation Sindoor. This underscores how both countries used registered lobbying channels in the United States to amplify their respective positions during the period of heightened tensions.
Lobbying as a Diplomatic Instrument During Times of Crisis
The revelations made by FARA regarding Pakistani lobbying in Washington during and after the Sindoor operation show that there was a large-scale diplomatic effort to obtain political and media backing from influential US institutions. By hiring such advisory groups as Javelin Advisors and Squire Patton Boggs, the Pakistani regime made attempts to win the sympathy of politicians and mainstream media channels during a regional dispute that received widespread global coverage.
In particular, this episode brings to the fore the way in which lobbying has become a means of overseas diplomacy for countries. The alleged tens of millions of rupees being paid out by Islamabad in order to get meetings with top US officials only serves to bring forward the rather competitive environment surrounding influence campaigning related to conflict, security, and a stable region. While the Indian and Pakistani governments are trying to move their respective diplomatic agendas through the corridors of the United States administration in Washington, such lobbying activities tend to exemplify larger currents where nations tend to utilize legal channels for influencing the shaping of foreign policy decisions in focal capitals such as the United States during times of crisis.
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