New Delhi: Pakistan has publicly acknowledged the scale and impact of India’s precision strikes carried out under Operation Sindoor in May, marking the first detailed admission from Islamabad eight months after the brief but intense military confrontation between the two neighbours. The disclosure confirms that Indian drones struck the strategically vital Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi’s Chaklala area, causing damage to infrastructure and injuries to personnel.
Speaking at a year end briefing, Pakistan’s deputy prime minister stated that India launched a large scale drone operation over a short span. He said that at least 80 drones were deployed within 36 hours, claiming that Pakistani defences intercepted most of them. Despite this assertion, he admitted that the Nur Khan airbase was hit in the early hours of May 10, triggering Pakistan’s retaliatory military response.
Operation Sindoor was launched by India on May 7, 2025, days after a terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, claimed the lives of 26 civilians. Indian strikes targeted key military and terror linked infrastructure across the border during the four day escalation that followed.
The latest remarks represent a notable change in Pakistan’s narrative, which had earlier minimised the extent of damage from Indian strikes. The deputy prime minister also stated that Pakistan did not seek third party mediation during the conflict, claiming that international actors initiated contact after hostilities intensified. According to him, a ceasefire understanding was conveyed to Pakistan on the morning of May 10, following which both sides agreed to halt military action.
He further repeated claims that Pakistani forces shot down several Indian fighter jets during the aerial exchanges, though no evidence was presented. Pakistan reiterated its long standing position that regional peace remains tied to resolving the Jammu and Kashmir issue.
Adding to the picture of heightened alarm in Islamabad, Pakistan’s president recently revealed that he had been advised to move to a bunker during the conflict but chose not to do so, underscoring the seriousness of the situation at the highest levels of government.
Recent satellite imagery indicates reconstruction work at the Nur Khan airbase, a key Pakistan Air Force facility located close to the capital. The developments lend further weight to the admission that the base suffered damage during India’s Operation Sindoor, highlighting the operation’s strategic impact despite earlier denials.
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