The Pakistani government made repeated appeals to the United States for help after suffering a major military and diplomatic setback during Operation Sindoor. According to documents released in the US, Pakistan, having faced decisive battlefield pressure, sought American intervention to halt the conflict by offering far-reaching economic and strategic concessions to US investors and policymakers.
US records indicate that during Operation Sindoor, Pakistani diplomats, defence officials, and their representatives contacted American officials, lawmakers, journalists, and policy influencers more than 50 times through emails, phone calls, and in-person meetings. These efforts, the documents suggest, were aimed at persuading Washington to step in and restrain India’s military response. In return, Pakistan made a series of high-value promises involving trade, investment, and strategic cooperation.
The disclosures come from filings submitted under US law by the lobbying firm Square Patton Boggs, which was acting on behalf of the Pakistani government. Reports indicate that Pakistan spent close to Rs 50 crore during April and May on lobbying activities in the United States, making at least 60 formal approaches to American officials. These details emerged after the US government made several Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) documents public. The filings reveal that Pakistan, already closely linked to influential circles within the US establishment, sought both military and financial assistance amid the crisis.
During Operation Sindoor, the Indian armed forces carried out a coordinated series of precision strikes on nine targets in Pakistan on the intervening night of May 6–7. Employing artificial intelligence-enabled targeting, precision-guided missiles, drones, and satellite surveillance, India struck terrorist infrastructure. Indian forces destroyed training camps and logistical hubs linked to terror outfits such as Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba in locations including Bahawalpur, Muridke, Muzaffarabad, and Kotli. Indian authorities stressed that the strikes were limited to terrorist targets and deliberately avoided civilian areas and Pakistani military installations.
In the aftermath of these strikes, Pakistan made sweeping offers to the United States in an effort to prevent a wider war. According to the documents, Islamabad promised preferential access for American exports, particularly in the energy and agricultural sectors, and pledged to dismantle existing trade barriers. Pakistan also assured special treatment for US investors under the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), a powerful body chaired jointly by the Pakistani Prime Minister and the Army Chief. In addition, Pakistan offered to involve US companies in the extraction and mining of strategic minerals such as copper, lithium, and cobalt, resources considered critical for advanced manufacturing and defence technologies. After four days of intense military confrontation, the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan spoke via hotline on May 10 and agreed to a ceasefire.
Despite claims by Donald Trump that he had brokered an end to the conflict and proposed trade deals as part of the process, India has consistently rejected this assertion. New Delhi has maintained that there was no third-party mediation and has reiterated that any dialogue with Pakistan would be strictly bilateral and confined to issues of terrorism.
The disclosures are rooted in filings under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, a US law enacted in 1938 to ensure transparency in foreign lobbying and influence operations. FARA requires individuals and firms representing foreign governments to register with the US Department of Justice and submit detailed reports every six months. These reports must outline the funds received from foreign sources, activities undertaken, officials contacted, and expenditures incurred. The records are made publicly accessible through the US Department of Justice. According to the FARA filings, Pakistan attempted to arrange more than 60 high-level meetings with US officials, including senior members of the State Department, lawmakers on Capitol Hill, and officials within the Trump administration. The explicit objective, the documents state, was to persuade Washington to “prevent” Indian military action and to mediate in the conflict.
The filings by Square Patton Boggs show that Pakistani representatives reached out to several US lawmakers at the height of Operation Sindoor, seeking urgent American intervention. Following mounting criticism and public scrutiny, Pakistan reportedly expanded its lobbying network by hiring additional firms, including Seiden Law LLP and Javelin Advisors. Among those associated with these efforts were George Sorial and Keith Schiller. Schiller, a former New York Police Department detective and US Navy veteran, has had a long association with President Donald Trump. He joined Trump as a personal bodyguard in 1999 and later rose to become Director of Security at the Trump Organisation, a position he held from 2004 to 2017.
After Trump assumed the presidency, Schiller served in the White House as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Oval Office Operations, becoming one of Trump’s closest aides. He currently works as Managing Director at Javelin Advisors LLC, a lobbying and government relations firm founded in late 2024 by former Trump associates who are registered as foreign agents.
The documents further show that Pakistani officials and their lobbyists contacted a wide array of influential figures, including members of the US Congress, congressional chiefs of staff, officials in the Pentagon, the State Department, the White House, and major media organisations such as The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. The FARA filings also reference a visit to the United States by Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir. His meetings in Washington, arranged through lobbying intermediaries, align with information already in the public domain.
Taken together, the documents paint a picture of an intense and costly lobbying campaign by Pakistan aimed at leveraging US influence to offset military pressure from India. The disclosures have renewed debate over Pakistan’s long-standing reliance on external intervention during crises with India.
