Pakistan has publicly acknowledged the impact of India’s precision military strikes on its air bases during Operation Sindoor, launched in May this year in retaliation for the April terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians. At a year-end press briefing on Saturday, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed that Indian drones had struck the Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi’s Chaklala area.
Damaging military infrastructure and injuring personnel stationed there. Dar said India had launched a wave of drone incursions over Pakistani territory within a 36-hour window. “They sent at least 80 drones. We intercepted 79 of them. One drone damaged a military installation and personnel were injured,” he stated.
Emergency Meet After Strikes
The Nur Khan Air Base is a major Pakistan Air Force facility and was among 11 air bases targeted by Indian strikes during Operation Sindoor. Other bases hit included Sargodha, Rafiqui, Muridke, Jacobabad, and Bholari, according to Indian defence sources.
Dar further revealed that Pakistan’s civil and military leadership, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, held an emergency meeting on the night of May 9 to decide on responses to the evolving situation. He described India’s early morning strike on May 10 as a “mistake”.
Satellite Images Confirm Damage
India launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7, targeting nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.
Satellite images reportedly captured by Maxar Technologies on May 13 showed significant damage to multiple Pakistani air bases, including Nur Khan. Comparative images from April 25 and May 10 highlighted structural damage to runways and support facilities.
Sharif Confirms Strike Earlier
Pakistan’s acknowledgment comes months after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif himself confirmed that Army Chief General Asim Munir had informed him of the Nur Khan strike at around 2:30 am on May 10. In July, Sharif’s advisor Rana Sanaullah admitted that Pakistan had just 30 to 45 seconds to determine whether an incoming Indian BrahMos missile carried a nuclear warhead.
Reacting to Dar’s remarks, Indian Army veteran Lt Gen (Retd) KJS Dhillon dismissed Pakistan’s claim of “minor damage”, calling Dar a “compulsive liar”.
Pakistan Earlier Admits Strike
“Pakistani media itself published the names of 138 gallantry awardees killed in Operation Sindoor. If 138 were awarded posthumously, casualties would be far higher. Nur Khan base was in flames and civilians recorded videos of the damage,” Dhillon told ANI.
On May 10, Pakistan’s military had officially admitted that Nur Khan, Muridke, and Rafiqui air bases were targeted by Indian missiles and drones, confirming the scale of the strikes for the first time.
With Dar’s statement, Pakistan has now formally conceded that India’s armed forces successfully struck key military installations during Operation Sindoor, marking a rare public admission of damage from Indian military action.
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