Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed hope that US President Donald Trump would receive the Nobel Peace Prize, but the 2026 award went to former United Nations human rights chief Navanethem ‘Navi’ Pillay.

Hours before the Nobel Committee announced the winner in Norway, Sharif reiterated that Pakistan had nominated Trump for the prize, citing his role in promoting peace in South Asia. Pillay, an 85-year-old South African jurist of Indian Tamil descent, was named the laureate for her efforts to promote peace and international law.

Following the announcement, Pillay joked about Trump while being applauded in a video shared by the Secretary General of Amnesty International.

“If you clap a little bit more, I may share this prize with Trump!” she said.

Trump later shared a post on his Truth Social platform by a lawyer who called Pillay a “hater” and said the award had been demeaned.

In his post on X before the announcement, Sharif said Trump had played a historic role in advancing peace in South Asia. He credited the US president’s intervention with helping bring Pakistan and India back from the brink of conflict and securing a ceasefire that remained in effect.

India, however, has repeatedly rejected Trump’s claim that he mediated the end of hostilities between the two countries in May 2025. New Delhi maintains that the ceasefire was reached directly between India and Pakistan, without third-party involvement.

Trump had earlier acknowledged that he was unlikely to win the Nobel Peace Prize this year. However, on Wednesday, he said he had received the honour indirectly, referring to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, the 2025 laureate, who presented him with her medal at the White House in January.

The Nobel Committee has clarified that a prize cannot be transferred or shared after it has been awarded.

Why Navi Pillay won the Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Committee selected Pillay for her work promoting peace and international law. Committee chair Jorgen Watne Frydnes announced the decision in Oslo, Norway.

The committee said Pillay had played an important role in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide were prosecuted.

A former judge of the International Criminal Court, Pillay later served as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. She also worked as a defence lawyer for Nelson Mandela and other anti-apartheid activists. She currently works as a jurist-lawyer at the ICC.

The prize is worth 12 million Swedish kronor, or about US$1.2 million, and will be presented in Oslo on December 10.

Who can nominate candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize?

Under the Nobel Foundation’s statutes, nominations can be submitted only by eligible individuals and organisations. These include members of national governments and parliaments, heads of state, judges of international courts in The Hague, certain university professors, directors of peace and foreign policy institutes, and former Nobel laureates.

Self-nominations are not accepted.

Pakistan announced several times last year that it had nominated Trump for the prize. Cambodia and Israel have also said they nominated the US president.

The Nobel Committee does not confirm or deny individual nominations. Reports said 287 candidates were registered for the 2026 award, including 208 individuals and 79 organisations.

Nominations close on January 31. A five-member committee appointed by the Norwegian parliament then prepares a shortlist of 20 to 30 candidates for assessment by its permanent advisers. The committee decides the winner by consensus or, if necessary, by majority vote. Its decision cannot be appealed.

India rejects Trump’s mediation claim

India has consistently denied Trump’s claim that he brokered the understanding reached on May 10, 2025, which ended four days of fighting between India and Pakistan.

On May 13, 2025, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the ceasefire had been agreed directly between the two countries without third-party involvement.

A month later, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had told Trump during a telephone conversation that India had agreed to the ceasefire at Pakistan’s request.

According to the Indian government, Modi told Trump that India did not accept and would never accept mediation.

Trump has repeated his claim of mediating between India and Pakistan around 80 times since May 2025.

SM/CitizenTimes