Pakistan on Saturday announced it would nominate US President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, an honour he has signalled he desires, “in recognition of his decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership during the recent India-Pakistan crisis”.
While Pakistan’s statement endorsed Trump’s claim of having brokered a “ceasefire” between the two countries in May, it also seemed to invite his mediation over Kashmir. India rejects any mediation in disputes with Pakistan and insists that the cessation of hostilities in May involved no third party.
Islamabad’s statement said it “also acknowledges and greatly admires President Trump’s sincere offers to help resolve the longstanding dispute of Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan — an issue that lies at the heart of regional instability”.
“Durable peace in South Asia would remain elusive until the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolutions concerning Jammu and Kashmir,” it added.
There was no immediate response from Washington, and an Indian government spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment, Reuters reported.
Islamabad’s move comes three days after Trump hosted Pakistan army chief Asim Munir to lunch at the White House, causing many to question whether this marked a failure for India’s diplomatic outreach following Operation Sindoor.
Pakistan’s announcement also came hours after Trump complained on his Truth Social platform that he would not get a Nobel for the treaty signed earlier between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Rwanda, or for “stopping the War between India and Pakistan”.
“This is a Great Day for Africa and, quite frankly, a Great Day for the World! I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize for this, I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize for stopping the War between India and Pakistan...,” Trump said, adding a list of other achievements that he thought should have won him the peace prize.
This marked the 15th time in six weeks that Trump had claimed to have stopped the India-Pakistan fighting. This after briefly crediting, on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Munir for the cessation of hostilities.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry has rejected reports in the Indian media that quoted Pakistan’s foreign minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar as stating that Islamabad had sought the ceasefire — a stand that support’s
India’s position.
“Friendly states, including Saudi Arabia, and particularly the United States, played a crucial role in facilitating the ceasefire between Pakistan and India,” the foreign ministry in Islamabad said.
The foreign ministry in Islamabad said: “The sequence of events clearly demonstrates that Pakistan did not initiate or ask anyone for a ceasefire but agreed to it when around 8-15 a.m. on May 10, 2025, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the DPM/ FM, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, and informed that India is ready to ceasefire if Pakistan is willing.
“The DPM/ FM confirmed Pakistan’s and later around 9 a.m. Saudi FM Prince Faisal also called DPM/ FM and informed the same about India.…”
Some analysts in Pakistan said the prospective Nobel nomination might persuade Trump to think again about joining Israel in striking Iran’s nuclear facilities, a Reuters report said.
Pakistan has condemned Israel’s action as a violation of international law and a threat to regional stability.
Trump has repeatedly said he is willing to mediate between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, which is music to the ears of Islamabad, which has long called for international attention to Kashmir.
His stance has, however, upended US policy in South Asia, which had favoured India as a counterweight to China, and put in question previously close relations between Trump and Modi.
Trump’s planned meeting with Modi at the G7 summit in Canada last week did not take place after the US President left early, but the two later spoke over the phone.
During the conversation, Modi said: “India does notand will never accept mediation” in its disputes withPakistan, according to the Indian government.
Mushahid Hussain, a former chair of the Senate Defence Committee in Pakistan’s parliament, suggested that nominating Trump for the peace prize was justified.
“Trump is good for Pakistan,” he said. “If this panders to Trump’s ego, so be it. All the European leaders have been sucking up to him big time.”
But the move was not universally applauded in Pakistan, where Trump’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza has inflamed passions.
“Israel’s sugar daddy in Gaza and cheerleader of its attacks on Iran isn’t a candidate for any prize,” said Talat Hussain, a prominent Pakistani television political talk show host, in a post on X.
“And what if he starts to kiss Modi on both cheeks again after a few months?”
Islamabad’s statement, however, was effusive. “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,” it said.
“This intervention stands as a testament to his role as a genuine peacemaker.”
Additional reporting by Reuters