The Indian Army’s swift and accurate strikes during the night of May 6 and 7, in which nine terrorist bases inside Pakistan were destroyed within a short span of just 24 minutes, appear to have caused serious alarm far beyond the immediate conflict zone.

Newly released records under the United States’ Foreign Agents Registration Act, commonly known as FARA, suggest that India’s Operation Sindoor, which was launched in April last year, severely unsettled Pakistan’s diplomatic leadership and pushed Islamabad into an intense and costly lobbying drive in Washington in an effort to prevent the situation from escalating further.

According to the official filings, Pakistan moved quickly to activate its diplomatic channels in the United States soon after Operation Sindoor began. Pakistani diplomats reached out repeatedly to senior officials across the Trump administration, members of the US Congress, the Pentagon, and the State Department. In just a few weeks, nearly 60 separate contacts were made through emails, phone calls, and face-to-face meetings. The clear objective of these efforts was to press for a ceasefire and to urge India to pause its military operations. The records show that this lobbying campaign started in late April and continued throughout and even after the four-day military operation.

To secure quick and effective access to influential decision-makers in Washington, Pakistan reportedly spent close to ₹45 crore to hire six American lobbying firms. The disclosures point to a coordinated attempt to shape the US response at a time when Indian forces were dismantling terror infrastructure with speed and precision that had rarely been seen before. In one separate filing, the US-based firm Sidley Law LLP stated that it assisted Pakistan in strengthening its economic engagement with the United States and also provided support during the period of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan.

Significantly, the documents filed by US lobbying firms make no reference to any mediation role played by US President Donald Trump during Operation Sindoor. This absence stands out amid repeated public claims and speculation about external mediation efforts during the crisis.

At the same time, FARA records also indicate that the Indian Embassy in Washington engaged an American lobbying firm, SHW Partners LLC, to help facilitate official communication with the US government. According to the filings, SHW Partners worked for the Indian Embassy from April through December 2025. Its primary responsibilities involved arranging meetings and coordinating outreach on diplomatic and trade-related matters, rather than influencing policy outcomes.

The records further note that on May 10, the day the four-day military confrontation came to an end, SHW Partners, acting on behalf of the Indian Embassy, helped establish contact with key US officials. These included White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, US Trade Representative Jamison Greer, and National Security Council official Ricky Gill. The discussions during these interactions covered the status of the India–US trade agreement and media coverage related to Operation Sindoor. The filings clearly state that the firm’s role was limited to facilitating communication through emails, phone calls, and arranging meetings.

The documents also reveal that the Indian Embassy sought assistance in arranging a meeting for a multi-party Indian delegation with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Several entries in the records refer to ongoing discussions linked to India–US trade negotiations, indicating that diplomatic engagement continued steadily even as military developments were unfolding on the ground.

In response to questions surrounding these disclosures, the Ministry of External Affairs clarified that such lobbying activities are legal, transparent, and a long-established practice in the United States. Sources within the MEA pointed out that all related records are publicly accessible on the US Department of Justice website. They also noted that embassies, private companies, and business organisations routinely engage consultants under FARA to improve communication and outreach. The sources emphasised that the Indian Embassy has hired such firms from time to time since 1950 and firmly rejected any suggestion of third-party mediation during Operation Sindoor, describing such claims as completely incorrect.

Despite these clarifications, the revelations have sparked political reactions within India. The Congress party raised concerns about the sequence of events on May 10, focusing particularly on the timing of US statements announcing the halt of Operation Sindoor. Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh pointed out that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the first public statement on stopping the operation at 5:37 pm on that day, arguing that the timing deserved closer examination.

Congress leader Amitabh Dubey also questioned the developments, claiming that the involvement of US Trade Representative Jamison Greer in discussions on the same day raises doubts about whether trade-related considerations had any influence on the decision to pause military action. The government has strongly denied these allegations, maintaining that India’s military and diplomatic decisions during Operation Sindoor were sovereign, carefully planned, and entirely independent of external pressure or trade negotiations.

Taken as a whole, the FARA disclosures highlight the extent to which Operation Sindoor shook Pakistan at the diplomatic level, even as India continued parallel diplomatic engagement in Washington. While Pakistan appeared to scramble to slow the operation through aggressive lobbying, the Indian government has consistently maintained that its actions, both on the battlefield and in diplomatic channels, were transparent, strategic, and fully in line with established international norms.