ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday defended Islamabad’s decision to recommend United States President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, citing his role in brokering two ceasefires in under two months.
The government last week announced it would formally nominate Trump for what it called his “decisive diplomatic intervention” during last month’s military standoff with India, a brief but intense escalation in which the nuclear-armed rivals exchanged missile, drone and artillery strikes before the US brokered a truce on May 10.
The standoff, which killed nearly 70 people on both sides, renewed fears of a wider conflict between Pakistan and India, who have fought three full-scale wars, mostly over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. Indian officials have denied that Trump played any role in securing the May 10 ceasefire, but Pakistan insists his behind-the-scenes push was key to defusing the crisis.
The nomination, however, has sparked public criticism after Trump last week launched strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in retaliation for attacks on Israeli targets. The region narrowly avoided further escalation when Washington subsequently said it had brokered a ceasefire between Iran and Israel on Monday, ending nearly two weeks of missile and drone attacks that killed over 200 Iranians and about 30 Israelis.
“I believe that within just a month and a half, President Trump has managed two ceasefires,” Asif told Independent Urdu in an interview. “So, our endorsement for his Nobel Prize, it’s not just about one but two ceasefires that has further strengthened our case for it.”
Asif also credited Trump for preventing a wider regional war in the Middle East and urged him to build on the momentum by reviving efforts for a two-state solution in Palestine.
“And I would take it a step further that President Trump should now work toward a two-state solution and the establishment of a Palestinian state,” he said.
While reports of violations continued to emerge after the Iran-Israel ceasefire was announced, the truce has largely held under heavy US pressure. Trump, who campaigned on pledges to act as a “peacemaker” and quickly resolve conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza — both still ongoing five months into his presidency — has called the Iran-Israel truce a personal diplomatic triumph.
Trump has also claimed credit for mediating a deal between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda to defuse tensions over rebel groups operating near their border. He has also previously offered to mediate the decades-old Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan and has sought to portray himself as a mediator in the long-running Serbia-Kosovo conflict.
