US lobbying records expose Pakistan’s aggressive outreach in Washington during Operation Sindoor, undermining Asim Munir’s claim that India sought American mediation for a ceasefire.
The disclosures reveal Islamabad’s extensive contacts with US lawmakers, defence officials and journalists, while India focused on condemning terrorism and avoided comparable lobbying activity.
Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces Asim Munir recently asserted that India approached the United States for mediation during the May 2025 escalation, a claim now contradicted by filings under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act.
The records show that between 6 and 9 May 2025, Pakistan mounted nearly sixty lobbying interactions in Washington, targeting congressional offices, defence-linked personnel, Treasury officials, national security advisers and media outlets. This campaign coincided with India’s launch of Operation Sindoor in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, which killed twenty-six civilians, including twenty-five Indians and one Nepali.
India’s Ministry of Defence confirmed that precision strikes were carried out on nine terror-linked sites across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The statement emphasised that no Pakistani military installations were targeted, describing the action as focused, measured and non-escalatory.
In contrast, Pakistan’s filings reveal a flurry of activity in Washington, with repeated “Meeting request with the Ambassador” entries and calls to influential figures such as House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, advisers to Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and staff linked to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
By 9 May, the lobbying drive intensified, with twenty to twenty-five interactions concentrated around defence and national security circles, including contacts with Brigadier Irfan Ali, Pakistan’s Defence Attaché.
The disclosures also highlight Pakistan’s engagement with senior US defence and security figures, including Representative Mike Rogers, Senator Richard Blumenthal, Senator Roger Wicker and Senator Tom Cotton, alongside staff from the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Several entries referred to “Ambassador discussion about tensions in the region,” while coordination with a journalist from a leading American newspaper underscored Islamabad’s attempt to shape narratives.
These efforts were part of a broader lobbying expenditure, with Pakistan reportedly spending around ₹45 crore to hire six US firms, including Sidley Law LLP, to secure access to decision-makers and press for a halt to India’s military campaign.
India’s diplomatic activity in Washington during this period was markedly different. New Delhi concentrated on urging condemnation of terrorism and building support against the Pahalgam attack, rather than lobbying for mediation.
The disclosures also reveal that Pakistan simultaneously sought US backing to maintain its Financial Action Task Force whitelist status ahead of the June 2025 plenary, further illustrating the breadth of its lobbying agenda.
On the battlefield, Pakistan escalated by launching swarms of kamikaze drones against Indian military bases. India responded with precision strikes on eleven Pakistani Air Force bases, including Nur Khan, Shahbaz in Jacobabad, Sargodha and Rahim Yar Khan.
Ultimately, the cessation of hostilities was agreed upon after a hotline message from Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations to his Indian counterpart, Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai. India has consistently maintained that no third party was involved in the ceasefire process, directly contradicting Munir’s narrative.
Operation Sindoor itself has not ended. Only the “88-hour” kinetic phase concluded, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi declaring that any future terror attack would be treated as an act of war and responded to on India’s own terms. In a special Lok Sabha session, he described this approach as the “new normal,” signalling a permanent shift in India’s counter-terrorism doctrine.
ANI
