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India reportedly engaged a lobbying firm to facilitate meetings between Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and high-ranking U.S. officials during the May conflict with Pakistan last year. The four-day hostilities in May 2025 erupted after India launched an unprovoked attack on Pakistan, resulting in Pakistan shooting down six Indian fighter jets, including three Rafales, along with numerous drones. The fighting concluded on May 10 under a ceasefire brokered by the United States.
According to a report by The Hindu, the Indian Embassy in Washington contracted a lobbying company led by Jason Miller, a former spokesperson for U.S. President Donald Trump, at that time. The firm’s filings with the U.S. Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act reveal that SHW LLC was tasked with setting up meetings for Jaishankar, India’s foreign secretary, and the Indian ambassador, with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
The lobbying firm also reached out to key White House officials, including Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, and National Security Council aide Ricky Gill on May 10, 2025. These meetings aimed to discuss the media portrayal of the India-Pakistan conflict.
This revelation about India’s efforts to directly engage senior U.S. officials during the hostilities contrasts with the Modi administration’s repeated denials of any U.S. role in mediating a ceasefire. Former President Trump claimed he brokered the ceasefire, thanking Pakistan for ending the hostilities while noting that Islamabad never formally sought third-party negotiations with New Delhi.
The report notes that this was the first time India had hired a firm specifically for arranging meetings between its officials and U.S. counterparts during a conflict. The firm also billed the Indian embassy for requests made by Shashi Tharoor, who led an Indian delegation to the U.S., to meet with Vice President Vance and other officials.
Additionally, SHW reportedly sent emails requesting meetings for Jaishankar with Vance, Secretary of Defense Hegseth, and CIA Director Ratcliffe during his June 2025 visit to Washington, about a month after the India-Pakistan standoff.
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