ISLAMABAD, Pakistan

A Norwegian political party has been criticized for its alleged nomination of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to Nobel Peace Prize.

“We are pleased to announce on behalf of Partiet Sentrum that in alliance with somebody with the right to nominate, have nominated Mr. Imran Khan the former Prime Minister of Pakistan to the Nobel Peace Prize for his work with human rights and democracy in Pakistan,” the party said on X.
The Partiet Sentrum, however, did not name the intermediary which allegedly put forward Khan’s name.

The alleged nomination, however, has invited criticism to the Partiet Sentrum with allegations that the party is “using a possible Peace Prize nomination to win votes,” according to NRK News website, citing the Nobel Institute believes.

“What is happening here is probably that (Geir) Lippestad strongly wants a seat in the Storting. And he wants to secure as many votes as possible in the Norwegian-Pakistani community,” said Kristian Berg Harpviken, the director of the Nobel Institute, according to website.

Geir Lippestad leads the Partiet Sentrum.

There has been no official communication by Oslo-based Nobel Prize Committee regarding the announcement by Norwegian party.

In 2019, Khan was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to promote peace in South Asia.

Every year, the Norwegian Nobel Committee receives hundreds of nominations, after which they select the winner through a lengthy eight-month process.

The nomination for this year’s prize concluded on Jan. 31 and this year the Committee registered a total of 338 candidates for the 2025 peace prize, of which 244 are individuals and 94 are organizations. 

However, the Committee does not reveal the names of nominators nor of nominees for the prize.

Khan lost power after a no-confidence vote in April 2022. He denies all charges against him, calling them politically motivated but government denies the allegations. Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options.