Islamabad, Dec 28: Pakistan has officially acknowledged the damage inflicted by India’s precision strikes on its military installations during the May escalation, marking another diplomatic embarrassment for Islamabad on the international stage.
Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, during his year-end press briefing on Saturday, confirmed that Indian forces had successfully targeted the Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi’s Chakala area, damaging military infrastructure and injuring personnel. The strikes were part of India’s retaliatory response following Operation Sindoor, which itself came after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 civilian lives.
Dar revealed that India launched a massive drone offensive against Pakistani territory within a 36-hour window, deploying approximately 80 drones. Despite Pakistan’s claims of intercepting 79 drones, one successfully breached their defenses and struck the military installation.
“They (India) send 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,” the Foreign Minister stated.
According to Dar, Pakistan’s civil and military leadership convened an emergency meeting on the night of May 9, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, to discuss their response strategy. He noted that India “made the mistake” of attacking Nur Khan Air Base in the early hours of May 10, further confirming the extent of the damage.
This admission validates India’s strategic military operations targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) during Operation Sindoor in May.
The Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 as a swift retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack. The operation targeted nine terror camps across Pakistan and PoJK, demonstrating India’s resolve to respond decisively to cross-border terrorism.
The escalation intensified with cross-border shelling from Pakistan, prompting strong retaliatory action from Indian forces. The situation eventually de-escalated when Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) reached out to his Indian counterpart to propose a ceasefire, which India accepted.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed the ceasefire agreement, noting that both sides agreed to halt all military operations across land, sea, and air.
Satellite imagery captured by Maxar Technologies on May 13 provided concrete evidence of significant damage to multiple Pakistani air bases. The images revealed damage to four key installations: Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi, PAF Base Mushaf in Sargodha, Bholari Air Base, and PAF Base Shahbaz in Jacobabad.
Comparative satellite images from April 25 and May 10 clearly showed damage to airbase facilities at Nur Khan, corroborating Indian military claims.
This is not Pakistan’s first acknowledgment of Indian strikes on Nur Khan Air Base. In May, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif himself admitted that Indian ballistic missiles hit the airbase and other strategic sites on May 10—a rare public admission that contradicted Pakistan’s typical policy of denial regarding Indian military operations.
During a ceremony at the Pakistan Monument on May 16, Sharif revealed, “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,” as reported by Geo News.
The repeated admissions from top Pakistani officials underscore the effectiveness of India’s precision strikes and highlight the strategic setback suffered by Pakistan’s military infrastructure during the May escalation.
