In a recent video that managed Indian television channel NewsX, widely regarded as a propaganda outlet aligned with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accused Pakistan of hiring lobbying firms to influence the Trump administration. Packaged as investigative journalism, the video relies on regurgitated tropes, nationalist paranoia, and conspiracy-laden narratives. But beyond the surface, this manufactured scandal reveals far more about India’s own insecurities than anything about Pakistan’s diplomatic activities.
What the NewsX episode truly exposes is New Delhi’s unease over Pakistan’s sustained relevance on the global stage, particularly in Washington, where strategic engagement with Islamabad has continued despite India’s best efforts to monopolize regional narratives. In attempting to demonize Pakistan’s diplomatic outreach, the Indian media unwittingly draws attention to its own deeply entrenched lobbying infrastructure in the United States, a vast and well-funded apparatus that rarely receives the scrutiny it deserves within Indian discourse.
The Media as a Tool of Strategic Manipulation
India’s media landscape has, in recent years, transformed into an extension of the state’s narrative warfare. Channels like NewsX, Republic TV, and Zee News serve not just as broadcasters, but as instruments of propaganda operations aimed at discrediting Pakistan diplomatically and morally. Their modus operandi is painfully predictable: float unverifiable claims, amplify them through digital and diaspora echo chambers, and repackage the feedback as public consensus or global validation.
This tactic was on full display during the May 2025 Indo-Pak standoff, when Indian media outlets gleefully disseminated unverified false reports about events on the ground. Some of these were later retracted or apologized for, while others were quietly buried as “psyops” in service of a national cause. The recent NewsX video belongs to the same genre of fiction masquerading as fact.
In this latest campaign, the Indian channel accuses Pakistan of investing in cryptocurrency firms allegedly tied to individuals close to Donald Trump, and of manipulating U.S. foreign policy through hired lobbyists. The narrative would struggle to hold water even in the pages of a mediocre thriller. But credibility was never the aim. The true objective is deflection, an attempt to distract domestic and international audiences from the inconvenient truth: that Pakistan continues to be seen as a strategic actor in its own right, and that major powers still engage with Islamabad on terms not dictated by New Delhi.
This discomfort is heightened by renewed discussions in Washington about the Kashmir dispute and suggestions of third-party mediation, developments that challenge India’s rigid insistence on Kashmir being a purely internal issue.
India’s Mirror Game
While India regularly accuses Pakistan of imaginary lobbying activities, it is in fact deeply embedded in Washington’s lobbying scene, particularly along K Street. The reality is that India’s political and corporate elite have long maintained a structured and well-resourced lobbying presence in the U.S., aimed not just at promoting economic interests but at shaping political narratives in favor of India and against its adversaries.
According to filings under the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), some of India’s most influential conglomerates have hired elite lobbying and legal firms in the U.S. to advocate for their interests. The Adani Group, for instance, retained the services of Kirkland & Ellis, a legal heavyweight, during investigations by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ). These lobbying efforts reportedly aimed to stall or soften enforcement actions in a $265 million bribery and fraud case under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
Similarly, the Tata Group engaged the firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, known for its expertise in high-stakes regulatory and political cases. Although presented as corporate strategy, these lobbying efforts often overlap with India’s geopolitical agenda, particularly in relation to policy stances on Kashmir, trade with Pakistan, and arms sales.
India’s Lobbying Ecosystem
India’s lobbying strategy in the United States is not incidental or reactionary; it is institutionalized and multilayered. The Indian government, working in tandem with diaspora-funded political action committees and private sector actors, has built a formidable ecosystem to promote a favorable image of India while aggressively undermining Pakistan’s narrative.
Central to this ecosystem is the India Caucus, the largest country-specific caucus in the U.S. Congress, which serves as a frequent point of engagement for Indian interest groups. Organizations such as the U.S.-India Political Action Committee (USINPAC) play a crucial role in mobilizing campaign donations, lobbying against resolutions critical of India, and suppressing discussion around Pakistan and Kashmir in the American policy space.
India has also consistently hired some of Washington’s most influential lobbying firms, including BGR Group, Cornerstone Government Affairs, and the now-defunct Podesta Group. These firms have been instrumental in neutralizing international scrutiny following the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir. They have also worked to minimize the impact of damning reports about communication blackouts, arbitrary detentions, and human rights violations in Indian-occupied Kashmir. In 2010 alone, Indian state and private entities spent over $1.5 million on formal lobbying efforts in the U.S., a figure that excludes corporate PR and media influence operations.
Narrative Warfare
India’s lobbying does not stop at law firms and Capitol Hill. It extends into the realm of public relations, digital media, and soft power projection, carefully curated by the BJP’s strategic communication ecosystem. Following the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in August 2019, the Modi government faced significant global backlash. Human rights organizations, UN experts, and members of the U.S. Congress voiced concerns over the deteriorating conditions in the region.
Rather than address these concerns substantively, the Indian government chose to engage global PR firms such as APCO Worldwide to influence media coverage and deflect criticism. Carefully orchestrated trips for foreign journalists and U.S. lawmakers were organized to present a sanitized version of reality. Investigations such as the EU DisinfoLab report later revealed that India had built a sprawling network of over 750 fake NGOs, media outlets, and think tanks in Europe to amplify pro-India and anti-Pakistan narratives.
This obsession with image management betrays a deep vulnerability. India’s global standing on issues of minority rights, press freedom, and democratic governance remains fragile—hence the need to substitute real policy progress with reputation laundering.
Projection, Paranoia, and Diplomatic Reality
India’s accusations that Pakistan used lobbying to influence U.S. foreign policy are not only unfounded but also ironic. They reveal a basic misunderstanding of how U.S. foreign policy is shaped, and a misplaced belief in the power of paid influence to steer Washington’s strategic calculus. The United States, like most major powers, engages with Pakistan not because of lobbying but because of Islamabad’s geopolitical significance, its pivotal location, and its role in regional stability.
India’s projection of its own lobbying model onto Pakistan reflects its growing strategic paranoia. It is a worldview rooted in nationalist echo chambers, where manufactured outrage replaces objective analysis and where all foreign engagement with Pakistan is seen as betrayal.
Illusions of Control
India’s reaction to Pakistan’s diplomatic agency, particularly its continued relevance during the Trump era, has been marked by arrogance, denial, and self-deception. Its refusal to accept that Pakistan is engaged on its own merit leads it to scapegoat imagined lobbying schemes and crypto conspiracies.
Yet in trying to malign Pakistan, India has only drawn attention to its own sprawling and well-oiled lobbying network, one that spans U.S. law firms, diaspora PACs, PR agencies, and disinformation outlets. This system isn’t a sign of strength; it’s a symptom of deep diplomatic insecurity.
Ultimately, no amount of lobbying can change the facts of geography, demography, and strategic reality. Pakistan, with its population of over 240 million and a pivotal regional role, remains an indispensable actor on the world stage. And that, not lobbying, is what truly unsettles New Delhi.
