In a move that signals a renewed push to influence U.S. policy, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ)—the U.S.-based separatist organization proscribed as a terrorist entity by India—has quietly reactivated its lobbying portfolio in Washington, D.C., for the first quarter of this year. Federal disclosures filed in mid-April show the group has once again turned to The Livingston Group LLC to press its agenda at the highest levels of the U.S. government.
According to the April 10 submission, The Livingston Group’s registration on behalf of SFJ designates former Congressman Robert L. Livingston, ex-chief of staff J. Allen Martin and associate Cathryn Kingsbury as the principal lobbyists. Their official mandate spans a sweeping array of targets—including the White House, U.S. Senate and House, the State Department, Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense—focused on “issues related to the intimidation and harassment of U.S. citizens of Sikh ethnicity by individuals and entities outside of the United States for expressing their personal and political views.”
Canada and US based extremist group "Sikhs for Justice" (SFJ) has signed a fresh contract with lobbying firm to lobby Washington DC against India pic.twitter.com/pXb1LanHEK
— Journalist V (@OnTheNewsBeat) May 27, 2025
This marks SFJ’s third documented foray into Washington’s corridors of power. The group first engaged The Livingston Group in March 2020 under an intermediary called Greater America LLC, disclosing $10,000 in income for that quarter before abruptly filing a termination report just one month later. A second attempt in early 2021 saw SFJ hire Blue Star Strategies LLC to “raise awareness in the U.S. of treatment of the Sikh community in India,” but that partnership also dissolved within three months.
The timing of SFJ’s latest lobbying agreement is notable: it coincides with the inauguration of the Trump administration in January 2025, suggesting a strategic calculus that the new White House might be receptive to their cause. Critics contend that SFJ’s continued efforts represent a concerted campaign—backed by Pakistan—to steer U.S. policy against India’s interests. They warn that granting SFJ access to top decision-makers at the State and Defense Departments could undermine Washington’s longstanding partnership with New Delhi.
SFJ, led by attorney Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, has long advocated for an independent Sikh homeland carved from India’s Punjab region. The group’s revival of formal lobbying channels underscores its persistence—and, some argue, the vulnerabilities in current disclosure and screening mechanisms that allow a proscribed foreign outfit to operate so openly in the nation’s capital.
As The Livingston Group’s filings begin to show up in quarterly tallies, all eyes will be on Capitol Hill and the White House to see whether U.S. officials heed SFJ’s appeals—or push back to reaffirm the strategic alliance with one of America’s largest democracies.
