Pakistan has stepped up its lobbying efforts in the United States following Operation Sindoor, signing a new $ 1.2 million contract with a Washington-based government relations firm to strengthen its engagement with lawmakers and policymakers, ANI reported on Sunday.
The report said, citing filings made under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), Pakistan entered into an agreement on May 1 with Ervin Graves Strategy Group LLC. Under the two-year contract, the firm will receive a monthly retainer of $50,000, taking the total value of the deal to about $1.2 million. Pakistan has also paid an advance of $150,000 covering the first three months of services.
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The agreement tasks the lobbying firm with providing government relations support, policy advice and legislative monitoring aimed at advancing Pakistan's diplomatic, economic and strategic interests in Washington.
As part of the arrangement, Ervin Graves Strategy Group will engage members of the US Congress and their staff, particularly those associated with committees dealing with foreign affairs, defence, trade and appropriations. The contract also seeks to project Pakistan as a dependable partner in counterterrorism efforts and regional stability.
The development comes amid continued scrutiny of Pakistan's record on terrorism. At a UN Security Council meeting on May 27, India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Harish Parvathaneni, accused Islamabad of continuing to support cross-border terrorism and violent extremism directed at India.
"Pakistan will have to accept that there are consequences to its sponsorship of cross-border terrorism," Parvathaneni said, adding that Islamabad's use of terrorism, religious extremism and anti-India rhetoric had persisted for decades.
Previous FARA disclosures had also revealed an intensive lobbying push by Pakistan in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor. Records showed that between May 6 and May 9, Islamabad carried out nearly 60 engagements involving US lawmakers, congressional staffers, Treasury officials, national security personnel, defence-linked contacts and journalists.
Those interactions took place as India conducted Operation Sindoor following the Pahalgam terror attack, targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).
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The latest contract also includes efforts to strengthen the Congressional Pakistan Caucus and maintain regular engagement with its leadership and staff. In addition, the lobbying firm has been tasked with outreach to influential groups such as the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus to build broader bipartisan support for Pakistan's policy priorities.
Beyond Capitol Hill, the agreement provides for engagement with senior officials across several US government departments, including State, Defence, Commerce, Agriculture, Treasury and Energy, as well as the Office of the US Trade Representative.
(With inputs from ANI)
