RECENTLY, Pakistan has once again nominated US President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. This decision is based on Pakistan’s belief that the US President has been playing a significant role in brokering peace in regional conflicts. Moving forward, envisaging a peace plan for Gaza in the Middle East and reimagining a peace plan for Ukraine in Europe, alongside, resolving the simmering nuclear Kashmir issue in South Asia, should be the primary focus of Trump’s peace-driven agenda. Against this backdrop, the people and government of Pakistan expect President Trump to play a pivotal role in South Asia’s peace crisis sustainably. And of course, Trump’s mediatory efforts can help facilitate a comprehensive India-Pakistan peace dialogue.
As the world watches President Trump’s peace endeavors in resolving the conflicts in the Middle East and Europe, in terms of the Gaza and the Ukraine crises, the pressing issue of Kashmir in South Asia, beckons for resolution. The simmering Kashmir issue is widely perceived as the bedrock of the South Asian peace crisis primarily because it is the central source of persistent hostility between two nuclear-armed rivals, India and Pakistan. The dispute fuels militarization, regional instability and a constant risk of catastrophic conflict, which in turn stifles economic development and regional cooperation.
The decades-long conflict between India and Pakistan does remain as a persistent thorn in the way of regional stability. Kashmir is recognized internationally as a long-standing, heavily militarized conflict zone and a potential nuclear flashpoint between India and Pakistan. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed his willingness to mediate the dispute to achieve a solution. As for the India-Pakistan conflict, Kashmir is a long standing dispute that has led to numerous wars (1948, 1965, 1971, 1999 and 2025) intrinsically based on the Kashmir issue.
Thanks to the political utilitarianism used by the Western powers that while prioritizing their geopolitical interests over actively mediating the Kashmir dispute, they did not take it seriously. Given the present scenario, India’s malicious role in promoting proxies in the region which is antithesis to regional stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan has become another point of contention between Islamabad and New Delhi. And yet, while intrumentalizing domestic law over the international law norms, the Modi Government abrogated Articles 370 and 35-A in August, 2019, which upped the ante, creating instability in the region. Needless to say, the people of Kashmir remain the most directly affected, caught in a cycle of violence, human rights abuses and political instability. The situation involves significant human suffering, security crackdowns and a denial of basic rights, which in turn fuels local resentment and the demand for self-determination.
Evidently, US President Donald Trump has played a significant and consequential role in mediating and halting a lethal military conflict in South Asia affecting 1.6 billion citizenry and yet, he can still play his key role in brokering a durable peace deal between the two nuclear-armed adversaries in South Asia, a role that he has already played in striking a ceasefire between India and Pakistan in May 2025, which followed a significant military escalation. His proactive involvement included publicly threatening trade tariffs against both nuclear-armed nations and offering to mediate the long-standing Kashmir dispute. After the Gaza and Ukraine peace plans, envisaging a Kashmir peace plan in conflict-torn South Asia, should be the top priority of Trump’s diplomacy. Such an endeavor aligns with the broader goal of achieving lasting peace in South Asia, a region where durable peace has remained elusive. Successfully addressing the Kashmir dispute could be seen as a significant achievement, potentially impacting regional stability and global perceptions of peacemaking efforts.
It is also a logical argument that diffusing hostilities between nuclear-armed states in South Asia is considered a vital US national security interest and President Trump has stated that this has been a diplomatic priority for his administration. He has even claimed credit for preventing a “potential nuclear war” between India and Pakistan. Trump’s actions were perceived as a diplomatic achievement, with him taking a proactive role in promoting peace in the region. He also urged India to take on a peacemaking role in resolving regional conflicts. Recently, the British MPs Jim Shannon, Gareth Snell and Andy McDonald emphasized the UK Government’s responsibility, referring the 1948 UNSC resolution promising a free and fair plebiscite. They strongly urged the Government to press India on human rights and recognize Kashmir as an international dispute, rather than a bilateral issue.
Clearly, the bottom line of international law on the Kashmir resolution, as articulated in the 1948 UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 47 and subsequent resolutions, is that the final status of Jammu and Kashmir must be determined by the will of its people through a free and impartial plebiscite conducted under UN auspices. Ending the Kashmir conflict could lead to increased trade, economic growth- a vision of the Trump Presidency for the South Asian region. With his self-proclaimed art of striking the deal, Trump seems to be uniquely positioned to bring the two nations to the negotiating table and broker a historic agreement, earning him the coveted Nobel Peace Prize and cementing his place in the annals of international diplomacy.
Given the current situation, the scope of ceasefire seems highly vulnerable as both militaries remain on high alert, while neither nationalist rhetoric nor potential triggers of fighting have subsided. The fear subsists that by mistake or intention either side could feel compelled to turn to its nuclear arsenal. Thus, a Kashmir peace deal could be crowning achievement of Trump’s diplomatic legacy. Moreover, a resolution might reduce violence and tensions, allowing for reconciliation and a focus on shared challenges such as climate change and poverty.
—The writer, based in Pakistan, an independent IR & International Law analyst, also an expert in Conflict and Peace Studies (with special focus on Palestine, Kashmir), is member of European Consortium of Political Research (ECPR), including the Washington Foreign Law Society/American Society of International Law.
