Pakistan's Asim Munir Recommends Trump For Nobel Peace Prize: White House

Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir has recommended US President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, for the latter's alleged role in preventing a nuclear war between India and Pakistan last month, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly has said. 

According to Reuters, Ms Kelly on Wednesday said the US President hosted Mr Munir at the White House following his pitch for the annual award. 

Mr Trump hosted Mr Munir after he called for the President to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for preventing a nuclear war between India and Pakistan, Ms Kelly told reporters. 

The Peace Prize has principally been awarded to honour efforts in four main areas - arms control and disarmament, peace negotiation, democracy and human rights, and work aimed at creating a better organised and more peaceful work, according to its official website.

The White House spokeswoman's remarks came even as India has constantly denied the US' role in curbing tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad, which were triggered by the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. New Delhi has, on several occasions, emphasised that neither Washington nor any third party had a role in its decision to cease military hostilities with Pakistan.

India has maintained that the Pakistani Director General of Military Operations sought to speak to his Indian counterpart on May 10 after India struck several airbases in the country, including the important Nur Khan airbase, also known as the Chaklala airbase. India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to end the conflict after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes. 

On Wednesday, Mr Modi held a 35-minute telephonic conversation with Mr Trump, mainly on Operation Sindoor, and made it clear that at no time were issues such as the India-US trade deal or mediation by the US to broker peace between India and Pakistan were discussed. 

Mr Trump, however, once again claimed credit for "stopping the war" between the two neighbouring countries.

"Well, I stopped the war between Pakistan - I love Pakistan - I think Modi is a fantastic man, I spoke to him last night. We are going to make a trade deal with Modi of India... And I stopped the war between Pakistan and India. This man (possibly referring to Asim Munir) was extremely influential in stopping it from the Pakistani side, Modi from the India side, and others. And they were going at it, they are both nuclear countries. I got it stopped," Mr Trump claimed. 

Complaining that the press had failed to take note of this, the US President continued, "I don't think I had one story written, did I have one story written? I stopped a war between two major nations, major nuclear nations. I did not have a story written about it, but that's okay. You know why, the people know."

In a similar reiteration on Sunday, Mr Trump said: "Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal, just like I got India and Pakistan to make, in that case by using TRADE with the United States to bring reason, cohesion, and sanity into the talks with two excellent leaders who were able to quickly make a decision and STOP!".