Pakistan nominates Trump for Nobel Peace prize after diffusing India conflict

Pakistan has announced its intention to nominate former US President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize—a move seen as both a gesture of goodwill toward Washington.

According to a social media post shared Saturday by the Pakistani government, the nomination is being made in recognition of Trump’s “decisive intervention and pivotal leadership during the recent India-Pakistan crisis.”

A separate statement from Pakistan’s embassy in Washington said Trump’s “robust diplomatic engagement with both Islamabad and New Delhi” helped de-escalate “a rapidly deteriorating situation, ultimately securing a ceasefire and averting a broader conflict.”

The crisis referenced began in April, following a terrorist attack in Kashmir. India blamed the attack on Pakistan, which denied the accusation. Tensions escalated into military skirmishes between the two nations.

Trump’s announcement of a ceasefire reportedly caught Indian officials off guard and drew a muted but irritated response from New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has denied that US mediation or trade incentives played a role in calming the situation. Modi reportedly rebutted several of Trump’s claims during a recent phone call with him.

By nominating Trump—who met with Pakistan’s army chief, General Asim Munir, earlier this week—Islamabad appears to be strategically appealing to a president known for his sensitivity to personal recognition.

Trump has long criticised the Nobel Committee’s 2009 decision to award the Peace Prize to his predecessor, Barack Obama, before the latter escalated the US troop presence in Afghanistan. Over the years, Trump has repeatedly asserted that he is more deserving of the prize.

During a speech last year, Trump remarked, “If I were named Obama, I would have had the Nobel Prize given to me in 10 seconds.”

Late Friday, Trump renewed his calls for recognition in a lengthy post listing his perceived peacekeeping achievements—including easing tensions between Serbia and Kosovo, preventing conflict between Egypt and Ethiopia, and brokering normalisation agreements between Israel and several Arab nations.

He concluded by saying that actually winning the prize was secondary to public recognition: “The people know, and that’s all that matters to me!”