Pakistan Admits India Hit Nur Khan Air Base in Op Sindoor Strikes
The latest admission came from Pakistan’s Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, who confirmed that India had targeted the Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi’s Chaklala area
Islamabad: The Pakistani government has once again found itself under international scrutiny after acknowledging the impact of India’s strategic and precision strikes on its military installations during the escalation in May, following Operation Sindoor. The operation was launched in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.
The latest admission came from Pakistan’s Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, who, during a year-end press briefing on Saturday, confirmed that India had targeted the Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi’s Chaklala area. He acknowledged that the strike damaged the military installation and injured personnel stationed there.
Speaking at the briefing, Dar stated that India sent multiple drones over Pakistani territory within a span of 36 hours, underscoring the scale and precision of the operation.
“They (India) sent drones towards Pakistan. In 36 hours, at least 80 drones were sent. We were able to intercept 79 drones out of 80, and only one drone damaged a military installation and personnel were also injured in the attack,” Dar claimed.
He further detailed that Pakistan’s civil and military leadership, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, convened a meeting on the night of May 9 and authorised decisions in response to the evolving situation.
Dar added that India “made the mistake” of attacking the Nur Khan Air Base in the early hours of May 10, further acknowledging the damage caused during the strike.
With these remarks, Dar effectively admitted India’s strategic military actions targeting Pakistani installations in May, which followed Operation Sindoor—an Indian offensive that targeted nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).
The Pakistan Air Force’s Nur Khan Air Base in Chaklala reportedly suffered significant damage in India’s precision strikes under the operation.
The Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7 as a retaliatory response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
Following the operation, tensions between India and Pakistan escalated, resulting in increased cross-border shelling from Pakistan and retaliatory action by the Indian Armed Forces.
In a surprising development, Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) later proposed a ceasefire to India’s DGMO, which was accepted. The contact from the Pakistani side was confirmed by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, who said both sides agreed to halt all military operations on land, at sea, and in the air.
Satellite images captured by Maxar Technologies on May 13 revealed extensive damage to multiple Pakistani air bases, including Nur Khan Air Base.
The images showed damage to four Pakistani air bases—Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi, PAF Base Mushaf in Sargodha, Bholari Air Base, and PAF Base Shahbaz in Jacobabad.
Comparative satellite images taken on April 25, 2025, and May 10, 2025, confirmed damage to airbase facilities, corroborating the strikes on Nur Khan Air Base.
This was not the first time a senior Pakistani official admitted to India’s strikes on the air base. In May, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif acknowledged that India’s ballistic missiles hit Nur Khan Air Base and other locations on May 10.
Addressing a ceremony at the Pakistan Monument on May 16, Sharif said, “At around 2:30 am on May 10, General Syed Asim Munir called me on a secure line and informed me that India’s ballistic missiles had hit Nur Khan Airbase and other areas. Our Air Force used homegrown technology to save our country, and they even used modern gadgets and technology on Chinese jets,” Geo News reported.
