SRINAGAR: As South Asia reels from the aftershocks of the Pahalgam massacre and the subsequent Operation Sindoor, the diplomatic front has opened a new chapter in Washington, DC. With the guns briefly silent, India and Pakistan are now locked in an intense lobbying battle for influence in the US capital, enlisting high-profile allies with close ties to former President Donald Trump.
India’s latest hire is Jason Miller, a Trump insider and veteran political strategist, who shot to prominence in 2016 as the chief spokesperson for Trump’s campaign. According to Hindustan Times, Miller’s firm, SHW Partners LLC, will receive Rs 12.5 crore annually (US$1.8 million) to provide “strategic counsel, tactical planning, and government relations assistance” on behalf of the Indian government. The arrangement was formalised in April, just days after India launched its military response to the Pahalgam attack that left 26 civilians dead.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal defended the contract, calling it part of a longstanding tradition of engaging US-based lobbyists, noting that such practices date back to the 1950s and intensified around events like the 2007 Indo-US Nuclear Deal. “All such engagements are available in the public domain,” he said.
Miller’s role extends beyond traditional lobbying. News18 reported that he served as an informal liaison in the days following the Pahalgam attack, directly briefing Trump and members of Congress on India’s counter terrorism strategy. Over 100 lawmakers are said to have expressed support for India, a rare bipartisan diplomatic gain in Washington’s polarised climate.
His appointment comes at a critical moment. As India Today observed, the Trump administration has proven unpredictable. Trump himself prematurely declared an India-Pakistan ceasefire on May 10 and offered to mediate the Kashmir issue, a proposal swiftly rejected by New Delhi. Miller, however, “understands how Trump’s brain functions,” the outlet noted, and could be instrumental in steering US opinion during such volatile phases.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has activated its own lobbying machinery. According to filings accessed by Hindustan Times, the government in Islamabad has engaged at least five US firms, including Javelin Advisers—led by Trump’s former bodyguard Keith Schiller and former Trump Organisation compliance head Georges Sorel. Their brief: improve Pakistan’s image, especially after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty in retaliation for the Pahalgam killings.
For India, the hiring of Miller is also “probably the single most expensive personnel hiring and contractual decision by the government,” as columnist Prashant Jha wrote in Hindustan Times. Yet, if it helps India gain a firmer hold in Washington’s corridors of power, it may prove to be money well spent.
