Lahore: Pakistan has faced significant domestic criticism for its intention to nominate U.S. President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, particularly following the recent aggressive U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites, which have raised doubts about the government’s foreign policy and military alliances.
Its nomination came on June 21, after a meeting at the White House between the current Chief of Army, General Asim Munir (Pakistan), and Trump, where the latter was praised for a decisive diplomatic intervention in de-escalating the interpenetration between India and Pakistan in May 2025. But then the next day, when the U.S. attacked the Iranian nuclear plant in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, a downburst of wrath was unleashed in Pakistan, and critics faulted the government and military for getting Trump wrong.
Nawaz Sharif, the former ambassador of Pakistan, expressed her indignation, recalling, “Now, those who nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize should be shamed.” The Mark Zahid Hussain, a prominent journalist, wrote on X, stating that Trump’s actions have struck Iran and brought the entire world to the brink of war under the leadership of the Nobel committee. Lodhi has retweeted Hussain, thereby indirectly criticising both the government’s leadership and the military commander regarding their decision.
There has been much speculation that during General Munir’s visit, Pakistan offered the U.S. access to its airbases and maritime areas, a statement that has widely enraged the public. When one of the lawmakers (Sahibzada Hamid Raza) in the National Assembly of Pakistan protested vehemently against any such accommodation in the house, he shouted out, saying, “The entire world is talking that you will be giving away airbases to the U.S. against Iran. No one can claim Pakistan as their own. If such an incident occurs, it will lead to a response from the populace. He was cautioning that the elite enjoy secure havens in Dubai and London whereas ordinary Pakistanis depend on their country as a safe place.
Raza, a confidant of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, reaffirmed Khan in a strong anti-Israel posture that the former PM has adopted; as he said, “Imran Khan has always made it clear: we do not accept Israel, and we stand with Iran.” Pakistan will take military action against Israel if it harms Iran. He challenged his critics to record a video message from Khan in jail, in which he would say, “I am still a man of principles.”
On June 22, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry denounced the U.S. attacks as a violation of international law and expressed deep concern about the growing tensions in the area. The ministry appealed to all the parties to seek dialogue and diplomacy in accordance with the UN Charter, a position critics claim was contrary to the nomination of the Nobel Peace Prize.