Transactional mirage: Why Pakistan’s Trump card isn’t paying off

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Pakistan’s military-led hybrid government did nearly everything it could to woo Donald Trump, from pursuing cryptocurrency deals with members of the Trump family to showcasing the…

Pakistan’s military-led hybrid government did nearly everything it could to woo Donald Trump, from pursuing cryptocurrency deals with members of the Trump family to showcasing the country’s rare-earth mineral potential at the White House.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif left no stone unturned in praising Trump. From the Global Peace Summit on Iran to discussions on Gaza and other pressing international conflicts and issues, Sharif repeatedly lauded Trump, seemingly hoping to secure his goodwill.

Islamabad has also hired lobbying firms in the United States and spent substantial sums to cultivate political influence in Washington. These efforts reflected a broader strategy of using personal diplomacy and transactional engagements to secure favor and advance interests within the Trump administration.

In a lobbying blitz, Islamabad committed nearly US$5 million to contracts with six major Washington firms. They included a $200,000-per-month engagement with Seiden Law, which subcontracted Javelin Advisors — a firm co-founded by former Trump Organization executive George Sorial and Trump’s ex-bodyguard and Oval Office operations director Keith Schiller.

A parallel deal with Orchid Advisors, which subcontracted powerhouse firm Squire Patton Boggs, also targeted the administration’s inner circle. Though these initial contracts have wrapped up, Sharif’s government doubled down on May 1, 2026, locking the Pakistani Embassy into a new multi-year $1.2 million deal with Ervin Graves Strategy Group LLC — led by former Republican Congressman Tom Graves — to promote Islamabad’s strategic narratives at the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill.

For a country that depends on International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout packages, remains heavily dependent on external loans and faces recurring economic crises, spending millions on lobbying in Washington raises hard questions about the government’s priorities and willingness to divert scarce national resources to secure foreign favor.

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