Oslo Fjord. The Nobel Committee of Norway has declared 85-year-old Navanetham Navi Pillai, a famous Indian-origin jurist and former human rights chief of the United Nations, the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for the year 2026. He has been given this prestigious honor for his extraordinary contribution to the promotion of international law and peace.
Navi Pillai’s cheeky joke and Trump’s reaction
After receiving the award, Pillai, of Tamil origin, took a jibe at Donald Trump and joked that if people clapped a little more, perhaps she could share the award with Trump. On this, Donald Trump shared a lawyer’s post on social media, criticizing Pillai and calling the award an insult. Earlier, Trump had claimed that he had indirectly received this award from 2025 winner Maria Corina Machado. However, the Nobel Committee has made it clear that the prize can neither be shared nor handed over to anyone.
Nobel Committee’s decision and shock to Trump-Sharif
Making the announcement in Oslo, committee chairman Jorgen Vatne Friednes said Pillai had played a historic role in ensuring justice in cases of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. She has been a judge of the International Criminal Court and a United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. This decision has once again disappointed Donald Trump, who himself was demanding this award. Apart from this, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also been shocked, who had claimed that Pakistan had nominated Trump for this honour.
India’s clear stand
The Prime Minister of Pakistan had claimed that Trump had played a role in establishing peace in South Asia and the ceasefire between India and Pakistan. However, India has always insisted that there was no mediation or role of any third party in ending hostilities after Operation Sindoor, launched against terrorism in May 2025.
