India hired US lobbying firm during May conflict with Pakistan, report reveals

Washington: India reportedly hired a US lobbying firm to arrange meetings for Foreign Minister S Jaishankar with senior American officials during the May 2025 conflict with Pakistan, according to a report by Indian news outlet The Hindu.

Citing filings on the US Department of Justice’s Foreign Agent Registration Act website, the report said the Indian Embassy in Washington engaged SHW LLC, a lobbying firm led by Jason Miller, a former spokesperson for US President Donald Trump, during the four-day military escalation between India and Pakistan.

According to the filings, the firm was tasked with scheduling meetings for Jaishankar, the Indian foreign secretary and the Indian ambassador with US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. The firm also contacted White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and National Security Council official Ricky Gill on May 10, 2025.

The stated purpose of the outreach was to discuss “media coverage” of the conflict between India and Pakistan.

The brief war began in May 2025 after what Pakistan described as an unprovoked Indian attack. During the hostilities, Pakistan said it shot down six Indian fighter jets, including three Rafales, and dozens of drones. The fighting ended on May 10 following a ceasefire brokered by the United States.

The disclosure about India’s engagement with a US lobbying firm stands in contrast to repeated statements by the Narendra Modi government denying any American role in mediating the ceasefire. Trump has publicly maintained that he played a key role in ending the conflict. Pakistan, while thanking the US president for his efforts, has stated that it did not approach any third party to negotiate with India.

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The report said hiring a lobbying firm to arrange meetings or calls between Indian and US officials during an active conflict was unprecedented for India. SHW LLC also charged the Indian embassy for facilitating meeting requests for Shashi Tharoor, who led an Indian delegation to the United States, including with the US vice president and other senior officials.

In addition, the firm reported sending emails in June 2025, a month after the standoff, seeking meetings for Jaishankar with Vance, Pete Hegseth and John Ratcliffe during his visit to Washington.