Pakistan nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize amid ridicule

Pakistan has formally nominated US President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, hailing his role in helping resolve the recent conflict between India and Pakistan.

In a statement posted on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Islamabad praised the former US president for his "great strategic foresight and stellar statesmanship."  

Pakistan credited US diplomatic intervention with ending recent fighting with India. 

A ceasefire announcement by Trump in May abruptly ended a four-day conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.  

However, India maintains that the ceasefire was the result of a bilateral agreement between its own military and Pakistan’s. 

"At a moment of heightened regional turbulence, president Trump demonstrated great strategic foresight and stellar statesmanship through robust diplomatic engagement with both Islamabad and New Delhi, which de-escalated a rapidly deteriorating situation, ultimately securing a ceasefire and averting broader conflict between the two nuclear states that would have catastrophic consequences for millions of people in the region and beyond," a Pakistani official spokesperson said on X. 

"This intervention stands as a testament to his role as a genuine peacemaker and his commitment to conflict resolution through dialogue."

Trump has repeatedly claimed he averted a nuclear war, saved millions of lives, and continues to complain that he has received no credit for it. 

Prior to Pakistan’s latest remarks, the former US president listed several conflicts he claimed to have resolved during his first term in a social media post on Friday - including presumed ones between Israel and Arab states through the controversial Abraham Accords.

"I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do," the US leader complained.

The government announcement was met with shock and ridicule in Pakistan, particularly amid reports that the US could soon join Israel in strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Pakistani writer Fatima Bhutto posted on X, “Pakistan should have nominated Palestinian doctors and journalists for a Nobel Peace Prize, but ok.”

Usman Khan, an independent Pakistani journalist and commentator, said that the nomination was "absurd" but pointed out that it could be a way for Pakistan to get closer to the US at the expense of India. 

"The absurdity and tone-deafness of nominating Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize aside, there's clearly seems to be a method to Pakistan's madness. Unlike Qatar, Pakistan doesn't have the economic means to offer luxurious jets or multi-billion dollar deals to the former reality star," Khan told The New Arab. 

"What it can do, however, is to take obsequiousness to another level by stroking Trump's massive ego. Pakistan aims to keep on expanding on the burgeoning diplomatic clout it has gathered after the recent Indo-Pak hostilities."

Trump’s recent efforts to foster closer ties with Pakistan appear to also have disrupted longstanding US policy in South Asia, which has traditionally favoured India as a strategic counterbalance to China. 

A planned meeting between Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G7 summit in Canada last week did not materialise after the US president left early.

However, the two later spoke by phone, during which Modi reportedly stated, "India does not and will never accept mediation" in its dispute with Pakistan, according to the Indian government. 

"Other than optics, it's a seemingly low-risk investment as far as Islamabad is concerned but could go a long way in bolstering Pak-US ties, all the while giving some policy headaches to Narendra Modi's India," Khan further explained. 

Governments are eligible to nominate individuals for the Nobel Peace Prize, though there was no immediate response from Washington following Pakistan’s announcement.  

Nobel nominees must be put forward by “qualified nominators,” which include national governments, heads of state, previous laureates, and members of specific international organisations.  

According to Nobel tradition, the nomination process is confidential, and entries for next year’s prize are due by 31 January- making this a nomination for the 2026 award.