The Pakistan government has once again found itself embarrassed on the world stage, now acknowledging the impact of India's strategic and precision strikes on its military installation during the escalation in May, following Operation Sindoor, which came in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.
This time, the embarrassment 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 as well as injuring personnel posted there.
Speaking at the briefing, Dar stated that India had sent multiple drones over Pakistani territory within 36 hours, and that one drone damaged a military installation, highlighting 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,' the foreign minister stated.
Dar detailed the sequence of events, noting that Pakistan's civil and military leadership, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, held a meeting on the night of May 9 and 'authorised' certain decisions in response to the evolving situation.
The foreign minister further stated that India 'made the mistake"]' of attacking the Nur Khan air base in the early hours of May 10, further acknowledging the damage.
With this remark, Dar admitted to India's strategic actions carried out by its armed forces on Pakistan's military installations in May, which came after Operation Sindoor that targeted nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
The Nur Khan air force base suffered significant damage in India's precision strikes under Operation Sindoor in May.
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 India's operation, the conflict between India and Pakistan deepened, resulting in increased cross-border shelling from Pakistan and retaliatory action from the Indian armed forces.
A surprising sequence of events unfolded when Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) proposed a ceasefire to India's DGMO, which was accepted.
The contact from the Pakistan side was confirmed by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, who noted that the two 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 significant damage to multiple air bases in Pakistan, including the Nur Khan air base.
The images showed damage to four Pakistani air bases: Nur Khan in Rawalpindi, PAF base Mushaf in Sargodha, Bholari air base and PAF base Shahbaz in Jacobabad.
Satellite images taken on April 25, 2025 and May 10, 2025, showed damage to airbase facilities, confirming strikes on the Nur Khan air base.
This is not the first time a top Pakistani official has admitted to India's strikes on the Nur Khan air base.
In May, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif admitted that India's ballistic missiles hit the Nur Khan air base and other sites on May 10, a rare acknowledgement that contradicts Pakistan's usual stance of denial when it comes to Indian military action.
While addressing a ceremony held 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 air base 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 had then reported.
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