A recommendation letter, signed by Dep. PM & Foreign Min. Ishaq Dar, was sent to the Nobel Peace Prize Cmte. in Norway.
Numerous Pakistani politicians and prominent individuals have urged the government to retract its unexpected decision to nominate U.S. President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, following U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities at Fordo, Isfahan, and Natanz.
On June 20, 2025, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar signed a letter recommending Trump for the award, citing his role in easing tensions between India and Pakistan.
However, the U.S. bombing of Iran, alongside Israel’s actions against Tehran’s nuclear program, prompted widespread criticism. Veteran politician Maulana Fazlur Rehman, leader of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, condemned the nomination at a party gathering in Murree on June 22, arguing that Trump’s support for Israeli attacks on Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, and Iran, and the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, contradict his peacemaker image.
Fazl also suggested that Trump’s recent meeting with Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir overly influenced the government’s decision. Former Senator Mushahid Hussain labeled Trump’s actions an “illegal war,” calling for the nomination’s revocation, while Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Ali Muhammad Khan and Raoof Hasan expressed shame over the government’s choice, condemning U.S. disregard for international law.
Other figures, including former Senator Afrasiab Khattak, Jamaat-i-Islami’s Naeemur Rehman, and former Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi, criticized the nomination as embarrassing and misaligned with public sentiment.
Journalists and activists, such as Mariana Baabar and Fatima Bhutto, echoed these sentiments, questioning Pakistan’s judgment and urging the government to reconsider its stance.