Pakistan has hired a Washington-based advisory firm, Ervin Graves Strategy Group LLC, under a two-year, $1.2 million contract registered on 1 May under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which mandates public disclosure of firms working on behalf of foreign governments. The firm is tasked with lobbying US policymakers, monitoring legislation, and engaging on issues including defence cooperation, critical minerals, and trade investment — sectors of growing importance as Washington seeks to diversify supply chains away from China. The move reflects a broader effort by Islamabad to professionalise its Washington outreach beyond traditional embassy diplomacy, at a time when both Pakistan and rival India have intensified their use of US political consulting networks following heightened regional tensions.