The bankrupt and cash-strapped is spending dollars on wooing Donald Trump while millions starve back home. Newly accessed United States government filings reveal the scale of Pakistan’s intensive lobbying campaign in Washington, D.C., aimed at influencing US policy during India’s Operation Sindoor in May 2025.
Pakistan Sought Over 60 High-Level Meetings With US Officials
The records filed under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) show that Pakistani diplomats and defence officials requested more than 50 meetings with senior US administration figures, lawmakers, and influential media outlets between the launch of Operation Sindoor and the full implementation of the ceasefire.
The filings indicate that Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States and its defence attaché repeatedly reached out through emails, phone calls, and in-person meetings to over 60 US officials and intermediaries.
The stated objective of these engagements was to press Washington to intervene and “somehow stop” India’s military campaign following the Pahalgam terror attack.
What Pakistan Wanted To Discuss: Kashmir, Security, And Rare Earths
The lobbying campaign spanned multiple US institutions, including Congress, the Pentagon, and the State Department, as well as leading media organisations. Pakistani officials discussed:
The Kashmir
Regional security
Rare earth minerals
Bilateral ties between the US and Pakistan
The outreach also involved securing interviews and background briefings with prominent US media outlets. Several filings describe the efforts as “ongoing representation of Pakistan,” highlighting the persistence and intensity of the campaign.
How Much Pakistan Spent On US Lobbying
This increase in lobbying follows reports from The New York Times in November 2025 that Pakistan had signed contracts with six Washington lobbying firms, worth roughly $5 million annually, to secure faster access to the Trump administration and favorable diplomatic and trade outcomes.
Weeks after Pakistan engaged Seiden Law LLP through Javelin Advisors, then-US President Donald Trump hosted Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir at the White House.
According to the reports, Pakistan spent at least three times more than India on lobbying during April and May 2025. The resulting shifts in US policy were described as a sharp turnaround from previously strained US-Pakistan relations, including:
Public praise for President Trump
Nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize
Pursuing lucrative trade and business concessions
A Contrast in US Lobbying By Pakistan and India
The documents also highlight stark differences in US engagement under Trump versus President Biden. Unlike Biden, who did not hold a single phone call with a Pakistani leader in four years, Trump met Pakistani leaders twice at the White House, including the unprecedented meeting with Army Chief Asim Munir.
Conversely, Trump’s tenure saw US-India relations hit a post-Cold War low, marked by tariffs and incendiary rhetoric.
Lobbying Agencies Pakistan Hired
Hyperfocal Communications LLC: Registered in October 2024 as a subcontractor to Team Eagle Consulting LLC. Work focused on improving US-Pakistan relations through outreach to government officials.
Ervin Graves Strategy Group LLC: Contract effective October 1, 2025, with a $25,000 monthly fee for three months. Activities included engagement with Congress, executive officials, policy groups, and think tanks, covering regional stability, economic development, democratic reform, as well as trade promotion, tourism, and Pakistan’s rare-earth minerals potential.
Javelin Advisors LLC: Registered in April 2025, with a $50,000 monthly fee. Activities involved communicating Pakistan’s positions on regional and global issues, including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute and Pakistan-India relations, to the US executive branch, Congress, and the public.
Qorvis Holding Inc: Hired in May 2025 for media outreach and narrative development.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
