Pakistan has nominated Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, crediting him with stopping a war between India and Pakistan. India, for the record, has said nothing of the sort, but that hasn’t stopped Islamabad from lighting a diplomatic candle at the altar of Trump Tower.
The nomination, posted on X, comes days after Pakistan’s army chief, General Asim Munir, secured a lunch meeting at the White House – and perhaps, a side order of advanced weaponry. Call it a coincidence, call it choreography, but the handshake looks suspiciously like a nomination-and-delivery.
One prize, many benefits
Trump has long felt robbed of the Nobel Peace Prize. In his view, he has brought peace everywhere – Israel and the Arab world, Kosovo and Serbia, Congo and Rwanda – without ever breaking a sweat or reading a briefing. ‘I should have gotten it four or five times,’ he said, modest as ever. ‘They don’t give it to me because I’m not a liberal.’
Meanwhile, Pakistan gets to flatter a narcissist president, while subtly suggesting it is ready to shop if Uncle Sam opens the catalogue. One nomination buys a lot of goodwill. And maybe some fighter jets.
How to stop a war without trying
Trump’s role in defusing India-Pakistan tensions remains, at best, theatrical. He claims he called both sides, said some firm words, and magically brought two nuclear powers back from the brink. No one in Delhi recalls this moment of divine intervention. But Trump isn’t a man to let facts interrupt his Nobel campaign.
In his imagination, he is a kind of geopolitical fireman: always first on the scene, even if the fire was already out, or never existed.
The Iran-Israel problem
But here’s the twist. If Iran and Israel conflict escalates and the US rushes to back Israel, as it always does, what happens to Pakistan’s loyalty? It has already pledged support to Iran, its Muslim fellow nation. Will it stick to that promise, or look the other way to keep the Trump connection warm? It is hard to look eye-to-eye with someone when you are caught blinking in two directions.
Nobel theatre
At its heart, this is less about peace and more about performance. Trump plays the role of peacemaker like he is still on reality TV – announce the deal, claim the credit, roll the graphics. Pakistan plays along, nominating him with one hand while reaching for the checkout counter with the other.
The Nobel Committee may or may not be amused. But as far as Trump and Pakistan are concerned, this partnership is working just fine. One wants arms. The other wants applause. And peace? It is in the press release.
