LONDON: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) hired a lobbying firm in Washingtonfor one month in February this year and paid $100,000 fees for setting upmeetings and media interviews for Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

Papers available with the scriber– and filed with the US Department ofJustice under Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) of 1938 – show thatthe payment was made by the PPP to lobbyist Jonathan Stember’s firm“Gunster Strategies Worldwide” just before the start of Bilawal Bhutto’svisit of Washington on 2nd February 2018. Jonathan P. Stember is Presidentat Gunster Strategies Worldwide and describes himself as a political andstrategic fixer.

A spokesman of the lobbying firm as well as a PPP senior leader, requestinganonymity, confirmed to that the Gunster was hired from 2nd February 2018till 2nd March 2018.

Papers filed by the Gunster Strategies Worldwide (“registrant”) with theNational Security Division (NSD) and US Department of Justice under ForeignAgents Registration Act (FARA) of 1938 as registrant note the name ofPakistan People’s Party (“client”) as the “foreign political party,registered at Parliament Lodges, Islamabad, Pakistan”.

The Gunster Strategies Worldwide confirmed that it had been signed up toact on behalf of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, chairman of the PPP.

The lobbying firm said that the PPP was dedicated to “promoting democracywhile supporting public ownership, egalitarianism, equality and a strongnational defence”.

The contract between the PPP and the Gunster outlined that that theregistrant will assist “the foreign principal with regard to an upcomingvisit by the chairman of the PPP, Mr Bilawal Butto Zardari, registrantpromises to arrange interaction between the chairman and various members ofthe congressional and executive branches. Registrant will also arrangemedia interview of the chairman with various media outlets”.