Asim Munir’s US mediation claim surfaces as FARA filings reveal Pakistan lobbying during Operation Sindoor

Fresh disclosures filed under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) have revealed that Pakistan intensified lobbying efforts in Washington during the period coinciding with India’s Operation Sindoor in May 2025.

According to documents reviewed by ANI, Pakistan recorded nearly 60 interactions with American political, defence and national security stakeholders between May 6 and May 9, 2025, shortly after India launched Operation Sindoor following the Pahalgam terror attack.

The filings show that Pakistan engaged with US lawmakers, congressional staff, Treasury officials, defence-linked personnel, national security advisers and journalists during the four-day period.

The disclosures surfaced after Asim Munir claimed on Sunday that India had approached the United States seeking mediation and a ceasefire during the conflict.

Addressing a ceremony at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi marking the first anniversary of “Marka-e-Haq”, Pakistan’s name for the conflict, Munir claimed Islamabad’s military strategy had proved “superior” to India’s.

“India expressed the desire for mediation through the American leadership, which Pakistan accepted in the interest of wider regional peace,” Munir said.

India launched Operation Sindoor after the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 civilians, including 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen, were killed. The Indian government described the operation as a tri-services mission targeting terror infrastructure across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).

In a statement issued on the intervening night of May 6 and May 7, 2025, the Ministry of Defence said Indian armed forces carried out precision strikes on nine terror-linked locations.

The government stressed that no Pakistani military facilities were targeted and described the operation as “focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature”.

FARA filings reviewed by ANI indicate that many of Pakistan’s interactions involved requests to arrange meetings for its ambassador in Washington. Several entries were labelled as “meeting request with the ambassador”, while later communications increasingly referenced “tensions in the region”.

The documents also show outreach to influential figures connected to the US Congress and security establishment, including contacts linked to Republican Congressman Brian Mast, advisers associated with House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, and staff from the office of Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

The filings further recorded communication with advisers connected to House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.

Lobbying activity reportedly intensified on May 9, with several entries marked as “defence attache meeting request”. Pakistan’s defence attache in Washington is Brigadier Irfan Ali, according to the Pakistan Embassy.

The filings also highlighted contrasting diplomatic approaches adopted by India and Pakistan during the escalation period. While Pakistan focused on outreach to political and defence stakeholders, India’s diplomatic efforts centred on building international support against terrorism and seeking global condemnation of the Pahalgam attack.