New Delhi: An Islamabad-based think-tank, affiliated with the National Security Division (NSD), Government of Pakistan, has engaged a Washington-based lobbying company for a staggering fee of Pakistani Rupees (Rs) 41.61 crore, or $1,500,000. This is the first such process by the Pakistan government in more than one and a half years.
In July 2021, the Pakistan government had hired Robert Laurent of Grenier of Grenier Consulting LLC for lobbying. Grenier is a CIA veteran, who was also the CIA station chief in Islamabad. The said contract was renewed in 2022 for one year.
The potential impact of this new hiring is likely to be closely monitored by offices in New Delhi and other interested countries.
According to documents, the think-tank, Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI), headed by Dr Raza Muhammad, a retired two-star general of the Pakistan Army, who has served as the High Commissioner of Pakistan to Mauritius, has engaged Team Eagle Consulting, LLC, and also subcontracted Hyperfocal Communications to meet with US government officials on behalf of the NSD and conduct outreach to improve US-Pakistani relations.
The NSD, which functions as the Secretariat of the National Security Committee (NSC), is Pakistan’s premier decision-making forum on national security.
As per documents, the consortium of Team Eagle and Hyperfocal will work on reshaping the US public narrative about Pakistan and building relationships with current and future administrations. The initiative will also empower the Pakistani-American diaspora by creating an engaged grassroots movement, developing strong bonds between local and national leaders, and demonstrating the community’s commitment to becoming a political force across the United States.
Team Eagle describes itself as a business development and advocacy firm providing sovereign states with strategic, technical, and political services. Its leadership includes Stephen Payne, Brian Ettinger, and Joseph Fleming.
Payne also heads the lobbying firm, LGS, which lobbied for then then military dictator Pervez Musharraf in the past. The firm was also engaged by former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s supporters from January to March 2024. Earlier, Payne, along with other supporters of former US President George Bush, formed a firm known as Team Eagle. The firm was also referred to as Team Barakat.
In 2008, Payne, who was president of Worldwide Strategic Partners, was caught in a sting operation in London discussing arrangements for a visit by Kyrgyz politician, Yerzhan Dosmukhamedov, who posed as a representative of former Kyrgyz President, Askar Akayev. Dosmukhamedov wanted to arrange meetings for Akayev with high-level US officials, including President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, to explain the situation in Central Asia. Payne suggested that a contribution of a couple of hundred thousand dollars to the Bush Library could help garner attention and facilitate the visit. He estimated the overall budget for the arrangement would be between $600,000 and $750,000, with a portion earmarked for the Bush Library to demonstrate interest and support. Following the release of this video, Payne resigned from the Department of Homeland Security advisory council.
The other company assisting IPRI, Hyperfocal, is described as a fully integrated communications and public affairs firm headquartered in Washington, DC, with offices in Houston, Brussels, Istanbul, and Kuala Lumpur. Hyperfocal’s parent company is Straife, which provides strategy and risk management services for governments and multinational organizations worldwide.
Officials stated that Team Eagle is composed of Pakistan experts and other specialists in the fields of strategic government affairs and economic development.