A number of senior Pakistani political leaders and public figures are calling on the government to reconsider its move to nominate former U.S. President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.
This follows the recent airstrikes by the U.S. military on three of Iran's nuclear facilities.
It was on Friday that the government of Pakistan announced its surprise decision to nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize based on his role in the recent de-escalation efforts amid the standoff between India and Pakistan.
Its formal letter of recommendation, already sent to the Nobel Committee in Norway, is signed by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.
But the nomination has sparked criticism in the wake of U.S. strikes—coordinated with Israel—on Iran's nuclear facilities at Fordo, Isfahan, and Natanz, which were viewed as a direct assault on Tehran's nuclear program.
Punjab Herald quotes Dawn newspaper that a number of prominent politicians have since called on the government to withdraw the nomination in the wake of these aggressive moves.
Senior politician Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the chief of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F), was one of the earliest political leaders to comment, urging the government to withdraw the proposal.
"President Trump's peace claim has turned out to be false; the Nobel Prize proposal should be withdrawn," Fazl said at a party event in Murree on Sunday.
He lambasted Pakistani leaders for reportedly being unduly impressed with Trump's recent meeting and lunch with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir.
"Trump has been backing the Israeli attacks on Palestine, Syria, Lebanon and Iran. How can this be a sign of peace?" he questioned.
"With Afghans' and Palestinians' blood on America's hands, how can he refer to himself as a supporter of peace?"
In spite of running on a campaign of being a diplomatic fixer who would deliver quick solutions to the Ukraine and Gaza conflicts, Trump has so far failed to make headway five months into his current term.
Former senator Mushahid Hussain commented on his disappointment in a post on X (formerly Twitter):
"Now that Trump is no longer a potential peacemaker but a leader who has deliberately launched an illegal war, the Pakistan government must re-examine, cancel and withdraw his Nobel nomination!"
He also alleged that Trump was being manipulated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and war lobbies in Israel. "Trump will now be presiding over America's decline," he cautioned.
In a subsequent post, Hussain further said that Trump "unleashed deception and broke his own commitment not to initiate new wars," while strongly criticizing the military intervention against Iran.
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf member Ali Muhammad Khan posted a single word—"reconsider"—on X, alluding to both the U.S. bombing of Iran and continued American backing for Israel's actions in Gaza.
Simultaneously, the PTI party issued a different statement rejecting the U.S. airstrikes as "unprovoked" and reiterating its "total support" for Iranian sovereignty.
PTI political think tank head Raoof Hasan declared that the government's decision to nominate Trump was "a cause of unmitigated shame and embarrassment for those who were instrumental in making the choice."
That is why it is said that legitimacy can neither be purchased nor bestowed," he commented, with a sharply aimed dig at the ruling alliance.
Hasan also chastised Washington for what he described as "total disregard for international covenants" in attacking Iran.
Afrasiab Khattak, who is a former senator, spoke about it by condemning what he referred to as the ruling elite's "sycophancy" in nominating Trump for a peace prize.
"The kowtowing assumed by the Pakistani leadership in referring President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize is not normative behavior in global diplomacy," he said.
"It was most humiliating to announce the nomination hours before Trump directed to bomb Iranian atomic facilities," he added.
Jamaat-i-Islami chief Naeemur Rehman said the move "undermines our national dignity and grace."
Maleeha Lodhi, who was once Pakistan's ambassador to the U.S., described the nomination as "unfortunate" and explained that it was not an expression of the general public's mood.
Senior journalist Mariana Baabar reflected this view in an X post, reproducing the government's Nobel nomination release and commenting, "today Pakistan does not look too good either."
Author and campaigner Fatima Bhutto asked a biting question: "Will Pakistan withdraw its nomination for him to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize?"
Read also| Government Refutes Claims That US Aircraft Used Indian Airspace for Strikes in Iran
