Key points
- OpenSecrets exposes India’s lobbying efforts
- Multiple US firms hired by India
- Image management fails to fix diplomacy
ISLAMABAD: India’s attempts to improve its global standing through extensive lobbying in the United States appear to have fallen short, according to investigations by the US watchdog OpenSecrets and India’s The Indian Express.
Reports show that New Delhi spent millions hiring US lobbying firms to influence policymakers and shape narratives following setbacks in regional disputes, including the controversial Operation Sindoor, but the efforts have yet to translate into tangible diplomatic gains.
Following setbacks in regional disputes and what has been described as an embarrassing defeat in Operation Sindoor, India has increasingly relied on American lobbying firms to repair its international image.
OpenSecrets reported that in 2025, the Indian government hired multiple lobbyists in the United States in an effort to rehabilitate its damaged diplomatic standing. According to the watchdog, India paid $450,000 to the US lobbying firm BGR Group to improve its diplomatic outreach and image in Washington.
The Indian Express also exposed the scale of India’s lobbying efforts in the US, confirming that New Delhi intensified its engagement with lobbying firms after the fallout from Operation Sindoor. The newspaper reported that India initiated contacts with the Trump administration through lobbying channels in an attempt to manage diplomatic damage.
Operation Sindoor
According to the report, India also sought to promote what critics describe as misleading propaganda related to Operation Sindoor, reaching out to the US administration to shape narratives around the operation.
The Indian delegation reportedly used the services of SHW, a US lobbying firm, to arrange meetings with American officials. The Indian Express revealed that India hired SHW at an annual cost of $1.8 million, while another firm, Mercury Public Affairs, was contracted for $75,000 per quarter.
Analysts say the disclosures highlight India’s growing dependence on lobbying firms to counter its diplomatic isolation. However, observers argue that India’s diplomatic decline at the global level cannot be reversed through lobbying firms or cosmetic measures alone, warning that sustained credibility requires substantive policy changes rather than image management.
