'Nominated Trump For Nobel, Met With Visa Ban': Journalist Hamid Mir Slams Pakistan Govt | Exclusive

Last Updated:January 17, 2026, 19:29 IST

India never nominated Trump for a Nobel Prize and maintained its principled distance on several US policies, but wasn't hit by a visa ban, Mir observed

US President Donald Trump meets Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir at the White House. (File image: PTI)

Renowned Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir has launched a blistering critique of the Shehbaz Sharif administration following the Trump administration’s decision to include Pakistan on its new “visa freeze" list. Mir questioned the strategic competence of the Pakistani government and military leadership, pointing out the stark disconnect between Islamabad’s sycophantic outreach towards Donald Trump and the harsh reality of Washington’s latest immigration crackdown.

Mir highlighted the irony of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the military establishment—specifically referencing the “favourite field marshal"—nominating Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize twice in 2025. He noted that while Pakistan went to extraordinary lengths to “romance" the Trump administration, including credits for de-escalating regional tensions, the reward has been an indefinite pause on all immigrant visa processing starting January 21, 2026. “India never nominated Trump for a Nobel Prize; in fact, New Delhi has maintained its principled distance on several US policies," Mir observed. “Yet, India is excluded from this ban, while Pakistan sits at the top of the list."

The veteran journalist argued that the move is not merely a routine policy shift but a significant “information warfare" failure and a diplomatic humiliation. He lashed out at the government for allowing the country to be categorised as a “high-risk" nation whose citizens are deemed a potential burden on US welfare systems. Mir’s comments echo a growing sentiment in Islamabad that the “special relationship" touted by the Sharif-Munir duo is entirely one-sided. The BBC has also raised similar questions, scrutinising whether the recent “romance" between the Oval Office and Pakistan’s top brass was ever based on mutual respect or merely transactional exploitation.

The situation is further complicated by the recent involvement of the National Paigham-i-Aman Committee (NPAC) and its chairman, Hafiz Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, in state affairs. Critics like Mir suggest that the state’s continued reliance on religious clerics to frame national narratives only reinforces the “high-risk" label that the Trump administration is using to justify the visa freeze. As the January 21 deadline approaches, the message from Washington appears clear: no amount of Nobel nominations can bypass the “America First" agenda.

News world 'Nominated Trump For Nobel, Met With Visa Ban': Journalist Hamid Mir Slams Pakistan Govt | Exclusive

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