NEW DELHI/WASHINGTON: India reportedly hired a US-based lobbying firm to arrange meetings for Foreign Minister S Jaishankar with senior American officials during the May 2025 military conflict with Pakistan, according to a report by The Hindu.
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The four-day conflict erupted in May 2025 following what Pakistan described as an unprovoked Indian attack. During the hostilities, Pakistan said it shot down six Indian fighter jets, including three Rafales, along with dozens of drones. The standoff ended on May 10 after a ceasefire brokered by the United States.
According to documents filed under the US Department of Justice’s Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA), 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 same period.
The filing shows that the firm was tasked with scheduling meetings for Jaishankar, the Indian foreign secretary, and India’s ambassador to the US with top American officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
The lobbying 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. According to the disclosure, the purpose of the outreach was to discuss “media coverage” of the India-Pakistan conflict.
The revelations stand in contrast to repeated assertions by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government that the United States played no mediating role in ending the conflict. Former US President Donald Trump, however, has consistently claimed credit for brokering the ceasefire. Pakistan has acknowledged Washington’s role in de-escalation while maintaining it did not seek third-party mediation.
The report noted that hiring a lobbying firm to arrange meetings or calls with senior US officials during an active conflict was unprecedented for India. The firm also billed the Indian Embassy for arranging meetings for Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who headed an Indian delegation to the US, with the US vice president and other officials.
Additionally, SHW LLC disclosed that it sought further meetings for Jaishankar with senior US officials, including Vice President Vance and Defence Secretary Hegseth, during his visit to Washington in June 2025, a month after the standoff with Pakistan.
