Pakistan has dramatically scaled back its lobbying operations in the US, cutting ties with several prominent firms just months after a record-high spending spree aimed at boosting access to the highest levels of the American government.
According to federal disclosures filed with the US Department of Justice, Pakistan has terminated contracts with five major lobbying firms, including Javelin Advisors, Seiden Law, Orchid Advisers, Squire Patton Boggs and Conscience Point Consulting, that were previously retained to influence US policymakers and shape public opinion in Islamabad’s favour.
Firms collectively earned $450,000/month
These firms collectively earned an estimated $450,000 a month before Pakistan cut back late last year, Hindustan Times reported.
The surge in lobbying spending, at one point reaching $600,000 per month, an unprecedented level in recent decades, came ahead of key geopolitical developments, including the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025 and India’s military response in May.
At its peak, Pakistan was spending far more than India to win influence with the White House, Congress and executive branch agencies.
However, according to Hindustan Times, the latest disclosures show that Islamabad now spends just $175,000 a month on lobbying, less than India’s roughly $200,000 monthly outlay on US firms.
‘Pakistan wanted a closer relationship with Trump admin’
“Some of that lobbying from Pakistan was probably undertaken as a response to the efforts of the Pakistani political opposition. In addition, Pakistan wanted a closer relationship with the Trump administration.
Once they had that relationship, they realised that there is no pending legislation on the horizon for which they have to lobby Congress… And on the Trump side, they’ve got what they wanted, which was sufficient praise for Field Marshal Munir and Prime Minister Sharif,” Husain Haqqani, who served as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US between 2008 and 2011, told Hindustan Times.
Meanwhile, former Indian diplomats believe that the events of the last few months hold some lessons for New Delhi about the importance of setting narratives.
“In Washington, facts don’t travel alone. They always need a vehicle, and that vehicle is generally a lobbying firm which builds your narrative,” Syed Akbaruddin, India’s former Permanent Representative to the UN, said.
Despite Pakistan’s earlier spending edge, diplomats on both sides believe that long-term US strategic priorities remain tilted toward India, and that lobbying budgets are unlikely to shift the broader trajectory of Washington’s relationships in South Asia.