ISLAMABAD, June 23 — The Pakistani government is facing mounting domestic backlash over its decision to recommend U.S. President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize — a move made just days before the United States carried out strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran, igniting fierce criticism from across the country’s political spectrum.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had signed and dispatched a formal letter of recommendation to the Nobel Peace Prize Committee in Norway, praising Trump’s efforts during the recent India-Pakistan standoff. But the timing of the decision — followed by U.S. airstrikes on Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan — has drawn sharp rebuke from politicians, former diplomats, and civil society leaders.
“President Trump’s claim of peace has proven to be false; the proposal for the Nobel Prize should be withdrawn,” said Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman during a party gathering in Murree on Sunday. “He has backed Israeli attacks not just in Palestine, but in Syria, Lebanon, and now Iran. This is no mark of a peacemaker.”
Rehman accused Pakistan’s ruling elite of being “blinded by Trump’s lunch meeting with our army chief,” Field Marshal Asim Munir, suggesting that flattery and strategic calculations may have motivated the recommendation.
Former senator and noted political commentator Mushahid Hussain echoed the sentiment in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “Since Trump is no longer a potential peacemaker, but a leader who has willfully unleashed an illegal war, Pakistan government must now review, rescind and revoke his Nobel nomination!” he wrote.
Hussain said Trump had fallen under the influence of “Netanyahu and the Israeli war lobby,” branding the U.S. strikes as the “biggest blunder” of his presidency. “Trump engaged in deception and betrayed his own promise not to start new wars,” he added.
The U.S. military campaign — which officials said was meant to disable Iran’s nuclear infrastructure — has intensified scrutiny of Trump’s foreign policy just five months into his second term, especially as conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza persist.
Members of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party also criticized the nomination. PTI lawmaker Ali Muhammad Khan posted a single word — “reconsider” — in response to the U.S. action. The party’s think-tank head, Raoof Hasan, went further, calling the government’s move “a cause of unmitigated shame and embarrassment.”
“That’s why it is said that legitimacy can neither be bought nor gifted,” Hasan added, accusing the U.S. of “total disregard for international covenants.”
Veteran politician Afrasiab Khattak condemned what he called the government’s “sycophancy,” arguing that the decision lacked diplomatic decorum. “It was most embarrassing to announce the nomination hours before Trump ordered to bomb Iranian nuclear sites,” he remarked.
Other voices, including former Pakistani ambassador to the U.S. Maleeha Lodhi and journalist Mariana Baabar, joined in. Lodhi described the move as “unfortunate” and unrepresentative of the public’s sentiment, while Baabar said the government had left Pakistan looking “not too good” on the global stage.
Jamaat-e-Islami chief Naeemur Rehman called the nomination “a decision that undermines our national dignity and grace.” Author and activist Fatima Bhutto, also weighing in on X, asked bluntly, “Will Pakistan withdraw its nomination for him to receive the Nobel Peace Prize?”
As the controversy deepens, government officials have remained largely silent. There has been no official comment on whether Islamabad intends to revise or rescind its endorsement of Trump in light of recent developments — a silence that critics argue only fuels public dismay.
While Trump campaigned as a “dealmaker” committed to ending wars, critics say his aggressive military posture and unwavering support for Israeli military operations have painted a very different picture. As former senator Mushahid warned, “Trump may now end up presiding over the decline of America.”
