ISLAMABAD – The ink had barely dried on Pakistan’s controversial recommendation of Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize when bombs began falling on Iran.
Just hours after the former U.S. president announced that American forces had launched “Operation Midnight Hammer”, reportedly destroying several key Iranian nuclear sites, a political storm erupted back home. Voices across Pakistan’s political spectrum — from religious scholars to veteran politicians and civil society — are now calling on the government to immediately revoke the nomination.
The airstrike, widely seen as a significant escalation in the already explosive Israel-Iran conflict, has brought deep embarrassment for Islamabad, which just recently aligned itself with the narrative of Trump as a potential peacemaker.
“We Want Friendship, Not Slavery” — Fazlur Rehman
Among the strongest reactions came from JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who urged the government to take back its recommendation without delay.
“We want friendship with the U.S.,” he said while addressing a party meeting in Murree. “But not at the cost of our sovereignty. Not if it means silence over injustice.” He accused Trump of carrying the “blood of Palestinians, Iraqis, and Afghans on his hands”, and asked bluntly, “If we don’t stand with Iran now, are we expected to stand with Israel instead?”
“Biggest Blunder of His Presidency” — Mushahid Hussain
Former Senator Mushahid Hussain was equally blunt in a series of pointed posts on X. “Trump is no longer a peacemaker. He’s now the architect of an illegal war,” he wrote, adding that Islamabad should “review, rescind, and revoke” the nomination immediately.
He warned that Trump had fallen into a trap laid by Netanyahu and the “Israeli war lobby,” and declared: “He will now preside over the decline of America.”
From Across the Political Spectrum: Anger and Disbelief
PTI lawmaker Ali Muhammad Khan made his thoughts clear with just one word — “RECONSIDER” — written in all caps, referring to both the attack on Iran and Washington’s continued support for Israeli operations in Gaza.
Former Senator Afrasiab Khattak called the government’s Nobel gesture “sycophantic” and an embarrassment to Pakistan’s diplomatic norms. “This is not how serious states behave,” he said.
“Will We Still Stand By Him?” — Civil Society Reacts
Writer and activist Fatima Bhutto asked what many Pakistanis are now thinking: “Will Pakistan withdraw its nomination for Trump to receive the Nobel Peace Prize?”
Renowned scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani also weighed in, calling the U.S. attack on Iranian nuclear sites “highly condemnable.” He reminded the public that such actions violate previous American commitments to diplomacy and non-escalation.
A Moment of Reckoning
For the government, the timing couldn’t have been worse. What was likely a symbolic gesture of diplomatic goodwill is now being torn apart in the face of a real and growing conflict — one that threatens regional peace and puts Pakistan in a difficult spot.
As tensions escalate in the Middle East and the world watches nervously, one thing is certain: the pressure on Islamabad to reverse Trump’s Nobel nomination is only going to intensify.
