Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize after India conflict ceasefire

Pakistan announced on Saturday it was nominating former U.S. President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, applauding his role in facilitating a surprise ceasefire between Pakistan and India in May. The four-day military clash had risked boiling over into wider conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbors before Trump intervened.

Though India maintains the ceasefire was bilaterally agreed to between its and Pakistan's militaries, Islamabad attributed Trump's "strategic foresight and statesmanship" for what it says was his effective diplomatic intervention.

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Nobel bid amid regional tensions

Pakistani authorities argue that Trump's diplomatic actions helped avoidable escalation that could have led to nuclear war. The former president himself has openly boasted repeatedly of not having gone to war and for saving lives. Islamabad also desires that this gesture would motivate Trump to discourage any U.S.-allied attacks on Iran's nuclear installations.

However, the nomination was met with mixed responses. Pakistan's government said that it's a completely legitimate move for any nation to propose a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize, but those in New Delhi and Washington were not willing to comment.

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Controversy at home and abroad

In Pakistan, some politicians criticized the nomination while others welcomed the initiative. Former Senate Defense Committee chair Mushahid Hussain endorsed the move as sound diplomacy, maintaining that compromising with Trump could pay off.

Nevertheless, some such as TV show presenter Talat Hussain rejected the bid in its entirety, citing Trump's support for Israeli aggression in Gaza and warning that this act could come at the cost of itself if Trump strengthens ties with India at some future time.