New Delhi: Pakistan’s premier think tank, The Islamabad Policy Research Institute, has courted controversy by hiring Team Eagle Consulting, a US lobbying firm for $1.5 million annually. It has previously worked with Pervez Musharraf and Imran Khan. Pakistanis are puzzled and angered by the money spent on lobbying and are calling it a ‘front for Army PR’ using taxpayers money.
“Isn’t an explanation warranted ? A govt-funded Think Tank hiring a lobbyist? If it’s public money, which it must be, then an explanation is even more necessary,” former Pakistani diplomat, Maleeha Lodhi wrote on X.
Founded in 1999, IPRI positions itself as one of the oldest non-partisan think tanks in the country. It is focused on various aspects of national security, encompassing international relations, law, and strategic studies. The institute is currently headed by retired Major General Raza Muhammad. Team Eagle Consulting, is led by Stephen Payne, a lawyer who engages in lobbying in Washington for both American and international clients.
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What is behind the contract?
Filings mandated by the US’ Foreign Agents Registration Act state the official goal of the firm is to strengthen US-Pakistan relations. But Dawn reported that the move reflects a broader attempt to counter the influence of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. It has been vocal in alleging US involvement in Khan’s political downfall earlier.
The filing follows a recent letter from several members of Congress to President Joe Biden, urging the release of Imran Khan from prison. The Foreign Office criticised this action as “counterproductive” and contrary to diplomatic norms, Dawn reported.
Uzair Younus, Director of the Pakistan Initiative at the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center, elaborated on X how this duality of lobbying—where both sides of the political spectrum engage in similar tactics—highlights a fascinating paradox: the very leaders who criticise foreign influence are simultaneously employing that same influence for their gain. Interestingly, PTI had hired the same lobbyists in January this year to seek support from pro-democracy advocates and to ease domestic pressure.
Moreover, the same Stephen Payne worked as a lobbyist for Musharraf in early 2000s and his firm was instrumental in forging relationships between the US government and Musharraf’s regime after the September 11 attacks, a time when Pakistan’s strategic importance soared. In a letter from 2006, Musharraf thanked Payne for his role in strengthening bilateral ties, indicating the lasting impact of lobbying efforts on diplomatic relations.
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‘Rename IPRI to ISPR’
This $1.5 million deal has not gone down well on social media. Pakistanis allege that the IPRI’s branding as a think tank is merely a facade, masking the military’s underlying influence in shaping Pakistan’s foreign policy. Many see this as a misuse of resources, echoing sentiments about wasted expenditures on personal public relations campaigns for leaders like Khan.
“It is a front for army pr, and will be paid by our tax money. Wasting on their useless personal pr. More emphasis on the tank part. Not on thinking,” one Reddit user wrote.
In a reference to Pakistan’s intelligence agency, Inter-Services Public Relations, an X user said, “Let ISPR remain the name instead of IPRI, the old name is known to the whole world. What was the need to have a new name?”
Pakistani businessman Khurram Nasir called it “shocking that while the country faces economic turmoil, millions of dollars are being spent to boost the image of someone… especially when Pakistan is struggling to meet basic needs.”
Even American author and political scientist Jonah Blank weighed in. “$1.5 million a year in lobbying fees? For a think-tank?…If this figure is accurate: A Pakistan-based think-tank is spending more money on lobbying than all but a handful of sovereign nations do,” he said on X.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)