PTI’s US wing hires lobbying firm in bid to build ‘good relations’

The PTI’s wing in the United States has hired a lobbying and PR firm at the cost of $25,000 per month to manage its public and media relations in the United States.

PTI USA hired Fenton/Arlook, a PR and advocacy firm based in Washington, DC, to support “the Tehreek-e-Insaf party’s goal for good relations with the United States and the Pakistani diaspora in the US.”

The PTI USA, which is based in New York, is the principal client of the lobbying firm. The firm has been hired for a period of six months at the cost of $25,000 to manage PTI USA’s public and media relations. “We will contact journalists, editors, producers and columnists on behalf of the PTI USA to explain their views to the US media only,” states the PR firm in the agreement, “This may include interviews, placing op-eds, and other standard media and public relations activities.”

“Fenton/Arlook shall provide public relations services, including but not limited to distributing information to and briefing journalists, placing articles and broadcasts, arranging interviews with representatives or supporters of PTI, advising on social media efforts and other such public relations services,” the agreement signed between PTI and the PR firm stated.

“For this work, Fenton/Arlook will charge a monthly retainer fee of $25,000 plus expenses. Payment of 2 months of fees in advance, or $50,000, plus an expense advance of $5,000 is due on or before August 10th, 2022, to cover work in August and September 2022,” it further read.

The agreement was signed on August 1 between David Fenton of the Fenton/Arlook and Salman Ravala, the attorney for PTI USA.

The agreement further states that the PTI USA is not supervised, owned or controlled by any foreign political party but will “in certain instances” be “directed by the foreign political party in Pakistan”, therefore the PTI.

The information was first brought to light by Uzair Younus, director of the Pakistan Initiative at the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Centre, on social media.