India reached out to US on day of ceasefire with Pakistan: Indian media

ISLAMABAD: India reached out to three senior Trump administration officials on May 10, 2025, the day a ceasefire was announced following the Pakistan-India conflict, to discuss "media coverage" of the clash, according to a report published by India’s The Hindu. 

The newspaper cites filings made under law by SHW LLC, a US-based lobbying firm, under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) with the US Department of Justice. The disclosures contradict the Indian government’s repeated denials of any US involvement in bringing about a ceasefire to the May 2025 conflict.

FARA filings, including 60 entries made in December 2025, reveal a significant disconnect between India's public denials of US involvement in mediating the May 2025 India-Pakistan conflict and the extensive behind-the-scenes lobbying efforts New Delhi undertook during the operation. 

While the documents do not specify whether the May 10 calls were made before or after the ceasefire announcement, The Hindu reports that "they indicate close interaction on [the] day." This is when both US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly claimed credit for brokering the end to hostilities.

$1.8 million contract

According to the newspaper, India relied on SHW LLC to facilitate high-level outreach to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, and National Security Council official Ricky Gill. They were hired two days after the Pahalgam attack, the filings show.

The firm is led by Jason Miller, Trump's former spokesperson and senior adviser during his 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential campaigns.

The annual contract is worth $1.8 million, paid in quarterly installments of $450,000. SHW had no other clients during the period covered by the filings.

Pakistan's consistent position

Throughout the conflict, Pakistan maintained it had not sought third-party mediation and that Kashmir remained a bilateral issue.

Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told Al Jazeera that when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered to facilitate dialogue on May 10, Rubio informed him that "India says that it is a bilateral issue" and does not support outside involvement. 

Dar stated, "Unless India wishes to have dialogue, we can't force dialogue."

A timeline of contact refutes constant denial 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has repeatedly denied that the US played any role in mediating the four-day Pakistan-India conflict. India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has said India did not accept mediation “at any level.” Modi said that operations were paused only after Pakistan sought a ceasefire.

On May 10, approximately 30 minutes after Trump's announcement, India's Foreign Secretary held a special briefing stating that Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations had initiated contact with his Indian counterpart.

On May 12, Modi stated in a national address that the conflict, which India codenamed "Operation Sindoor," was paused after Pakistan "pleaded" for a ceasefire. 

On June 17, during a phone call with Trump at the G7 Summit, Modi explicitly told the US president that India had never discussed a trade deal or accepted US mediation at any level during Operation Sindoor, according to Indian government statements.

However, FARA filings provide a detailed account of intensive engagement with American officials during the same period.

Of the 60 entries, 30 telephone calls show the lobbying firm contacted officials at the White House, the US Trade Representative’s office, and the Department of Commerce, with the stated purpose in multiple calls being discussions on the "status of US-India trade conversations."

India launched Operation Sindoor on May 6-7, carrying out strikes on what it described as militant targets in Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan has consistently denied the presence of any such entities. Hostilities escalated over the following days, including aerial engagements, drone attacks, and cross-border fire, before a ceasefire was announced on May 10.

On May 7, during active combat operations, lobbying firm SHW contacted Fox News anchor Bret Baier to "pitch a media interview with Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra to discuss Operation Sindoor," the filings show.

On the day of the ceasefire, the filings show four separate contacts by SHW with senior US officials, including White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, National Security Council officials, and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. All four were logged as discussions on “media coverage” of Operation Sindoor. Greer was contacted twice on the same day.

‘Standard practice’

The Indian Embassy did not deny the filings when contacted by The Hindu but said hiring lobbyists is "standard practice" to "augment outreach." The embassy stated it "has hired such firms, consistent with local practice and requirements, under successive governments since the 1950s," but did not respond to specific questions about the May 10 contacts or why lobbying firms were asked to arrange meetings with senior US officials.

"Such meetings are routinely sought by the mission directly," officials stated, noting that lobbyists are typically hired "for advice and to understand the landscape" but that "meetings and calls are made between diplomats directly."

The filings also document that SHW made calls to White House officials to "flag" social media posts by Modi praising Trump, including after the president made positive comments about bilateral ties on Sept. 6, and after Modi congratulated Trump on a Gaza peace proposal on Oct. 9.