A year after the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistan has hired a United States-based lobbying and strategic communications firm, Ervin Graves Strategy Group LLC, under a two-year contract valued at $1.2 million.
According to documents accessed by Times Now, the agreement was signed on May 1 between Pakistan’s Embassy in Washington and Irwin Graves Strategy Group LLC. Under the deal, the firm will lobby the White House, U.S. Congress, government agencies, media organizations, and think tanks on Pakistan’s behalf.
The agreement tasks the company with providing lobbying, government relations, policy advisory, legislative monitoring, stakeholder engagement, media messaging, think-tank outreach, trade and investment facilitation, critical minerals engagement, and defence and security cooperation support.
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According to documents accessed by Times Now, the agreement was signed on May 1 between Pakistan’s Embassy in Washington and Irwin Graves Strategy Group LLC. Under the deal, the firm will lobby the White House, U.S. Congress, government agencies, media organizations, and think tanks on Pakistan’s behalf.
The firm, led by former Republican Congressman Tom Graves, has been tasked with arranging high-level meetings, policy briefings, and strategic engagements for Pakistani officials. The agreement also focuses on improving Pakistan’s image as a partner in regional stability, counterterrorism, and democratic engagement.
The lobbying effort includes outreach to key congressional committees, influential caucuses, policy experts, and investors, while also promoting U.S. investment in Pakistan’s critical minerals, IT, pharmaceutical, agriculture, and infrastructure sectors.
Sources indicate that Islamabad is seeking to reshape its image in Washington and strengthen its influence on U.S. policy discussions related to South Asia over the next two years.
Pahalgam Terror Attack:
Twenty six people were shot dead by Pakistan-based terrorists on April 22 last year in Pahalgam, prompting India to launch Operation Sindoor, a military response targeting terror launchpads in Pakistan. All three Pakistani terrorists involved in the massacre were eliminated by security forces in a gunfight in the Srinagar hills three months later.
India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10, following a request from Islamabad, to end the conflict after four days of conflict.