The government of Pakistan has announced its intention to nominate former US President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. The proposed nomination is a recognition of the role Trump allegedly played in facilitating a ceasefire in the recent conflict between India and Pakistan.
The Pakistani government on X declared that Trump’s decisive diplomatic involvement and leadership during the India-Pakistan crisis merits him the award. They attribute the cessation of hostilities to his strategic foresight and exceptional statesmanship, which they believe successfully de-escalated the rapidly worsening situation.
However, the Indian government has rebutted these claims, stating that the US did not play the role of mediator to end the conflict, and that it does not seek any external diplomatic intervention.
Trump has previously indicated his belief that his actions warrant the Nobel Peace Prize. The winner will be announced in October this year. In May, Trump announced a surprise ceasefire between India and Pakistan after four days of intense conflict between the nuclear-armed nations.
Trump has consistently claimed that the ceasefire was brokered by the US, and that he used trade as leverage to bring India and Pakistan to an agreement. While Pakistan corroborates this narrative, India denies it.
In a recent statement, Trump asserted that he had stressed the importance of a ceasefire to India and Pakistan, in order for trade relations with the US to continue. Mushahid Hussain, former chair of the Senate Defence Committee in Pakistan’s parliament, praised the Nobel nomination proposal, stating that Trump’s actions benefited Pakistan.
However, the move received criticism from Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US, Maleeha Lodhi, who termed it “unfortunate.” She expressed her disapproval of Trump’s support for Israel’s actions in Gaza and Iran.
In a recent social media post, Trump claimed that he had played a significant role in brokering negotiations between several nations. Despite this, he expressed doubt that he would receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Trump had promised to resolve the conflicts in Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Gaza upon taking office, but successful peace deals in these regions have yet to materialize. Trump has been critical of his predecessor, Barack Obama, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, less than eight months into his term. Trump had previously called for the Norwegian Nobel Committee to rescind Obama’s award.
