On the same day, May 10, 2025, as on which the Ceasefire between Indian and Pakistani forces was initiated and the four days of military escalation of “Operation Sindoor” ended, the Indian Embassy in the United States was working through a lobby firm that was headed by a top aide of US President Donald Trump at the time, India Trump lobbyist diplomacy.
The outreach has come into light via filings required by the FARA of the US government, hence giving an access to these negotiations between India and Washington as there was also a crisis at that time with Pakistan.
FARA Filings Disclosure
However, According to filings with the US Department of Justice in December 2025, at least 60 contacts made with US government officials on behalf of the Indian Embassy by lobbying firm SHW Partners LLC over six months in 2025.
On May 10th, in response to the news of the ceasefire announcement, it contacted the Chief of Staff of the White House, senior NSC officials, and the US Trade Representative.
These, the purpose stated was “to discuss media coverage” of Operation Sindoor, according to the filings, although these do not show whether such calls were prior or post the announcement regarding the ceasefire.
On questioned about these filings, the Indian Embassy did not contradict the filings and stated that it is a “usual practice” for it to hire these lobbyists in order to further expand their influence in Washington. They did not clarify why a company needs to arrange calls and meetings that can arranged by the ambassadors they hire.
Who is SHW Partners managed by?
SHW Partners run by Jason Miller, who is a senior communication advisor and the spokesman in the presidential campaigns of Donald Trump in the elections of 2016, 2020, and 2024. When Trump returned to power in the month of January 2025, Miller’s firm began a contract with the Indian Embassy on April 24, two days after the “Pahalgam Terror Attack” that led to the Military Strike by the Indian Military.
Managing social media and public diplomacy synergies
In addition to meetings and trade calls, the documents indicate that SHW Partners involved in coordination efforts through public statements. They contacted White House communications officials on several occasions to “flag” social media messages from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that responded to or thanked President Trump.
Some of these calls tended to closely precede calls between Modi and Trump, for example, around his birthday celebrations and Trump’s peace initiatives in the Middle East. India Trump lobbyist diplomacy, All the above examples highlight how Trump World deeply involved with the Trump administration through the activities of its lobbyist.
A departure from traditional diplomatic norms
Former diplomats state that the extent of the outsourcing that reflected in the filings represents a departure from the previous trend. Although the involvement of India’s lobby firms in Washington, which have historically cooperated with both of the main US political parties, is not new, the nature of this involvement was primarily advisory.
“Meetings and official calls normally taken care of directly by the mission,” said a former diplomat. This implies that “the rules of engagement in Trump’s Washington may have changed” to leave no room for channeling.
The revelations are highly political in nature considering that the Modi government persistently rejected suggestions that the US had a mediator role in stopping India and Pakistan from going to war. They also run counter to previous dismissive comments that a trade war forced a ceasefire in connection with Trump’s claims that this happened.
It is, however, unclear if the approach led to concrete benefits. Although the matter of accessibility addressed, the fact that trade tensions exist means that the consequences for the use of the politically connected facilitators for the core diplomatic interaction could be significant.
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