Islamabad, Pakistan, December 28 (ANI): The Pakistani government has again acknowledged the impact of India’s strategic and precision strikes on its military installations during the escalation in May, following Operation Sindoor, which was launched in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.
This acknowledgment 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, damaging military installations and injuring personnel stationed there.
Speaking at the briefing, Dar said India sent multiple drones into Pakistani territory within a span of 36 hours, underscoring what he described as the scale and precision of the operation.
“They sent drones towards Pakistan. In 36 hours, at least 80 drones were sent. We were able to intercept 79 out of 80, and only one drone damaged a military installation and personnel were also injured in the attack,” Dar claimed.
He further outlined the sequence of events, stating that Pakistan’s civil and military leadership, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, held a meeting on the night of May 9 and authorized certain decisions in response to the evolving situation.
Dar also said that India “made the mistake” of attacking the Nur Khan Air Base in the early hours of May 10, an admission that further acknowledged damage to the facility.
With these remarks, Dar conceded India’s strategic actions against Pakistani military installations in May, which followed Operation Sindoor targeting nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
The Pakistan Air Force’s Nur Khan Air Base in Chaklala suffered significant damage during India’s precision strikes under Operation Sindoor, according to earlier assessments.
The Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7 in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
Following the operation, tensions between India and Pakistan escalated, leading to increased cross-border shelling by Pakistan and retaliatory action by the Indian Armed Forces.
Subsequently, Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations proposed a ceasefire to India’s DGMO, which was accepted. The outreach from the Pakistani side was later 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 imagery captured by Maxar Technologies on May 13 showed significant damage to multiple air bases in Pakistan, including Nur Khan Air Base.
The images indicated 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 and May 10, 2025, revealed damage to air base facilities, confirming strikes on Nur Khan Air Base.
This was not the first admission by a senior Pakistani official regarding India’s strikes. In May, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif acknowledged that Indian ballistic missiles had hit Nur Khan Air Base and other locations on May 10, a rare statement that contrasted with Pakistan’s usual denials of Indian military action.
Addressing a ceremony at the Pakistan Monument on May 16, Sharif said that around 2:30 a.m. on May 10, Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir informed him via a secure line that Indian ballistic missiles had struck Nur Khan Air Base and other areas. He added that Pakistan’s Air Force responded using indigenous technology, along with modern systems deployed on Chinese-made aircraft, Geo News reported.
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