PTI claims Imran Khan nominated for Nobel Peace Prize; but here's the twist...

The official X (formerly Twitter) account of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) created waves on the internet on Friday night when it shared a video of members of the Pakistan World Alliance (PWA) - a group affiliated with the Norwegian political party Partiet Sentrum - announcing the nomination of incarcerated former Premier Imran Khan for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts for human rights and democracy in Pakistan.

The caption of the post read, “Former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, as announced by members of the Pakistan World Alliance (PWA) affiliated with the Norwegian political party 'Partiet Sentrum.' @MediaCentrePWA.

This nomination stands as a testament to Imran Khan’s unwavering struggle for peace and his 28 years of relentless efforts for democracy, the rule of law, and human rights. A well-deserved recognition for a great leader—Imran Khan.”

A member of the PWA can be heard announcing, “We are pleased to announce on the behalf of the Partiet Sentrum that in alliance with somebody who have the right to nominate a candidate to the Nobel Peace 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. I wish him all the luck. Thank You (sic).” 

But the announcement alone is not enough to convince skeptics that Imran Khan may be in contention to win a Nobel. 

The Nobel Prize website says, “As per the statutes of the Nobel Foundation, information about the nominations is not to be disclosed, publicly or privately, for a period of 50 years. The restriction not only concerns the nominees and nominators, but also investigations and opinions in the awarding of a prize.”

The website further says that any person or organization can be nominated by anyone eligible to nominate. There is no vetting of nominations prior to the nomination deadline, hence the Norwegian Nobel Committee has no influence on the quality of the submissions. The task of the Committee is strictly limited to selecting the best candidate (or candidates) among the entire list of submissions.

To simply be nominated is therefore not an official endorsement or honour extended by the Nobel Committee, and may not be used to imply affiliation with the Nobel Peace Prize or its related institutions.

The Nobel Prize winners for this year will be announced between October 7 and 14. The prestigious awards recognize achievements in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or medical economics, literature, and efforts toward peace.

To win a Nobel Prize, a nomination is required. The Norwegian Nobel Institute registered a total of 338 candidates for the 2025 peace prize, of which 244 are individuals and 94 are organizations. For comparison, the Nobel Institute received valid nominations for 286 candidates last year, distributed among 197 individuals and 89 organisations. The highest number ever, received in 2016, was 376 candidates.

The Nobel Committee does not announce the names of nominees to the media or to the candidates themselves. In certain cases, names of candidates appear in the media. 

These advanced surmises are either the product of sheer speculation or information released by the person or persons behind the nomination.

All living persons and active organizations or institutions are eligible candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize. What is considered a valid nomination is defined by the Nobel Foundation’s statutes. In order for a nomination to be valid, it must be submitted no later than January 31.

As a rule, the Committee reaches a decision only at its very last meeting before the announcement of the year’s laureate(s) at the beginning of October.

Contrary to common belief, there is no public list of the current year's nominees.

How do the committees decide who to award the prizes to?

Every committee is slightly different, but ultimately, they all work to fulfill the will of Alfred Nobel, which stated that the Nobel Prize should be awarded according to those who have "conferred the greatest benefit to humankind."

The awards were first handed out in 1901 and have seen winners, or laureates, ranging from Mother Teresa to Martin Luther King Jr. It’s not just individuals—organizations can win the awards too. And on many occasions, multiple people or organisations — or an individual and an organisation — have shared a Nobel Prize.