WASHINGTON: An Islamabad-based national security think tank has engaged a new lobbying firm in the US, the official list of registered foreign agents reveals.

The US Foreign Agents Registration Act requires the public listing of all lobbyists or lobbying firms working for a foreign entity, including governments and private corporations.

The posting on the US Justice Department’s site identifies the Pakistani firm as the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI).

IPRI describes itself as one of the oldest non-partisan think tanks on “all facets of national security, including international relations, law, and strategic studies”. The institute’s current president is retired Maj Gen Raza Muhammad.

The US firm engaged by IPRI — Team Eagle Consulting — is led by Stephen Payne, a lawyer who lobbies in Washington for both American and foreign clients.

Officially, as per the FARA filings, the firm’s purpose is to enhance US-Pakistan relations.

The move seems to be intended to counter the growing influence of PTI supporters in the US, who are running a campaign to secure the freedom of former prime minister Imran Khan, and other incarcerated leaders of his party.

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The filing comes just days after several members of the US Congress wrote to President Joe Biden to seek the release of Imran Khan from prison, a move that the Foreign Office termed “counterproductive” and against diplomatic norms.

According to documents, Team Eagle will receive $1.5 million annually, or $125,000 per month, for its services.

A press release on Yahoo Finance describes Team Eagle as “a consortium of leading Pakistan experts and other globally recognized specialists in strategic, government affairs, and economic development”.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2024