Islamabad [Pakistan], June 23 (ANI): Pakistani lawmakers and notable figures have criticised the government's decision to nominate US President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize after the US targeted nuclear facilities in Iran, The Express Tribune reported.

The statement of the leaders came after the Pakistani government on Saturday announced its decision to formally recommend Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, citing his 'decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership' during the recent conflict between India and Pakistan, as reported by The Dawn.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has urged the Pakistan government to withdraw its recommendation for awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to US President Donald Trump. He stressed that Pakistan intends to have friendship with the US; however, it did not accept slavery.

While addressing the JUI Punjab General Council meeting in Murree, Rehman said, 'We want friendship with the US, but not at the cost of our sovereignty,' The Express Tribune reported.

He reiterated his demand for the government to withdraw Trump's nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize, accusing him of having 'blood of Palestinians, Iraqis and Afghans on his hands.' Rehman condemned the US attacks on Iran, terming them a blatant violation of national and international laws.

'If we do not stand with Iran, should we side with Israel instead?' he asked. Expressing support for Iran, he said, 'We fully support Iran,' The Express Tribune reported.

Former Pakistani senator Mushahid Hussain called on the government to withdraw its recommendation to award Trump the Nobel Peace Prize. He accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trapping US President Donald Trump.

In a series of posts on X, Trump stated, 'Since Trump is no longer a potential peacemaker, but a leader who has willfully unleashed an illegal war, [the] Pakistan government must now review, rescind and revoke his Nobel nomination!'

'Trump had been 'trapped by Netanyahu and Israeli war lobby, committing [the] biggest blunder of his presidency',' Hussain posted on X. He further wrote, 'Trump will now end up presiding over [the] decline of America!'

PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan also called on the Pakistani government to reconsider its decision regarding Trump's nomination. In a post on X, Khan in capital letters stated, 'RECONSIDER,' and called for attention to the 'US attack on Iran and continuous US support of Israeli killings in Gaza.'

Pakistan's former senator Afrasiab Khattak called the Pakistan government's decision to nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize 'not part of normative conduct in international diplomacy.'

In a post on X, Khattak stated, 'The sycophancy adopted by [the] Pakistani ruling elite in nominating President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize is not part of normative conduct in international diplomacy,' slamming what he termed as a spineless foreign policy move.

Author and activist Fatima Bhutto asked, 'Will Pakistan withdraw its nomination for him to receive the Nobel Peace Prize?'

The US launched Operation Midnight Hammer and conducted 'precision strikes' at three of Iran's key nuclear facilities, including Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.

On Sunday, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the success of the operation launched by the US in Iran on Sunday. In a media briefing with Chairperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force General Dan Caine, Hegseth said that the US had successfully conducted precision strikes in Iran's Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz.

'Last night, on President Trump's order, the US Central Command conducted a precision strike in the middle of the night against three nuclear facilities in Iran - Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz - in order to destroy or severely degrade Iran's nuclear programme. As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs will demonstrate, it was an incredible and overwhelming success,' he said.

Hegseth said that the orders from the US President and Commander-in-Chief were clear. They 'obliterated' Iran's nuclear ambitions.

'The order we received from our Commander-in-Chief was focused, it was powerful, and it was clear. We devastated the Iranian nuclear program,' he said. Hegseth said that the US did not target Iranian troops or civilians. 'But it's worth noting that the operation did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people,' he added.

Hegseth, however, noted that the operation was 'not and has not been about regime change' in Iran but to create a setback to Iran's nuclear ambitions, as reported by The Hill. (ANI)