DOMINANT ANGLE
Islamabad sees this Nobel as a victory of international law over power: the Pakistani press highlights the UN inquiry on Gaza by Navi Pillay and the American backlash against the ICC.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Navi Pillay, 85, received the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize "for her efforts to promote peace and international law"; she chaired from 2021 to November 2025 the UN commission of inquiry on the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel (The Express Tribune).
- 02
The Trump administration sanctioned the ICC a few hours after the announcement, with an initial six-month grace period and exemptions (telecoms, software, pensions); the Court denounced an "assault on the rule of law" (Business Recorder, Geo News).
- 03
In Syracuse, Donald Trump spoke of an "indelible stain" on Norway and referred to Pillay as a "mystery person" (Business Recorder).
ANALYSIS
Islamabad, October 10, 2026. Pakistani media, from The Express Tribune to Geo News, present the Nobel Peace Prize awarded on Friday, October 9, to Navi Pillay, primarily through the prism of Gaza. The Express Tribune describes her as "the South African jurist who led a UN inquiry that concluded Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza", and recalls that she chaired from 2021 to November 2025 the commission of inquiry into the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel. The newspaper specifies that this commission also attributed war crimes to Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups.
Her career is carefully recounted. Geo News recalls that this 85-year-old woman, born in Durban to a Tamil family of Indian origin, opened in 1967 the first law firm in the province of Natal, defended anti-apartheid activists including Nelson Mandela, and contributed to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda to recognize rape as an act of genocide. The Nation Pakistan emphasizes that she is the fifth South African laureate, after Mandela and Desmond Tutu. The chairman of the Nobel Committee, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, is quoted: her work has been "instrumental in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide are prosecuted".
The second part of the story is Washington's response. Business Recorder, ARY News, and Geo News, which pick up the Reuters dispatch, report that the Trump administration sanctioned the ICC itself just hours after the announcement, putting it "on a diplomatic collision course with European allies". Marco Rubio calls the Court a "rogue court" that needs to be deprived of resources. The Court denounces an "assault on the rule of law" and calls on its 125 member states to defend it: "The Court cannot stand alone". The media note a six-month grace period and exemptions for telecommunications, software, and pensions.
The third part is the quarrel between Donald Trump and Oslo. Business Recorder and Daily Times report that in Syracuse, during a meeting, he spoke of an "indelible stain" on Norway and treated the laureate as a "mystery person". The newspapers also mention Pillay's joke in Nuremberg: "If you clap a little bit more I may share this prize with Trump". The articles do not relay any official reaction from Islamabad or a detailed Israeli reaction.
SOURCES (6)
- The Express TribuneMEDIUM
- The Nation PakistanMEDIUM
- ARY NewsMEDIUM
- Daily TimesMEDIUM
- Business RecorderMEDIUM
