Washington DC [US], May 31 (ANI): After being singed during Operation Sindoor following the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistan has intensified its lobbying efforts in Washington DC. As per US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filings Pakistan on May 1 entered into a new multi-million-dollar agreement aimed at strengthening its influence within US policymaking circles.

According to the FARA report detailing the arrangement, Pakistan has signed a formal contract with Ervin Graves Strategy Group LLC, a government relations and advocacy firm based in the United States. The agreement, effective May 1, 2026, commits Pakistan to a monthly retainer of USD 50,000 for a period of 24 months, bringing the total value of the contract to approximately USD 1.2 million. The deal also includes an upfront payment of USD 150,000 to cover the first three months of services.

The engagement is structured around providing comprehensive government relations, policy advisory support, and legislative monitoring services designed to advance Pakistan's diplomatic, economic, and strategic interests in the United States.

Under the terms of the agreement, Ervin Graves Strategy Group will conduct targeted outreach to members of the US Congress and their staff, with a focus on committees overseeing foreign affairs, defence, trade, and appropriations. A key priority in the terms of the agreement is to position Pakistan as a reliable partner in counterterrorism and regional stability.

Pakistan's support to terror actors has been one of the major points that India has raised at multiple international fora. Recently at the UN Security Council on May 27, India's Permanent Ambassador to the UN Harish Parvathaneni, highlighted how Pakistan has been unabatedly continuing to harbour and harnessing malevolent forces of terrorism, cross-border terrorism and violent radicalism against India.

'Pakistan will have to accept that there are consequences to its sponsorship of cross-border terrorism. Pakistan's harnessing of the malevolent forces of terrorism, religious extremism, violent radicalism, and anti-India rhetoric has continued unabated since its creation,' he said.

Earlier, in the post Op Sindoor scenario, FARA filings had revealed how Islamabad had launched an aggressive lobbying campaign in Washington, repeatedly reaching out to the American establishment to maintain the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF) continued whitelisting.

Filings between May 6 and May 9 2025, showed that Pakistan logged nearly 60 interactions involving US lawmakers, congressional aides, defence-linked personnel, Treasury officials, national security advisers and journalists.

The records indicate that Islamabad was actively engaging influential political figures in Washington as India launched Operation Sindoor in response to the Pahalgam terror attack and carried out strikes on terrorist infrastructure across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).

Now, with Pakistan attempting to play peacemaker in West Asia, the establishment in Islamabad has revived efforts to push it cause further. Pakistan's current lobbying deal includes strengthening and expanding the Congressional Pakistan Caucus, while maintaining sustained engagement with its leadership and staff.

The lobbying firm is also tasked with coordinating outreach to several influential congressional caucuses, including the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, as part of a broader effort to build bipartisan and multi-ethnic legislative support for Pakistan-related policy priorities.

In addition to congressional outreach, the contract outlines structured engagement with senior US executive branch departments, including the Departments of State, Defence, Commerce, Agriculture, Treasury, and Energy, as well as the Office of the US Trade Representative. (ANI)