Pakistan has, for the first time, publicly acknowledged the extent of damage caused by Indian strikes on a key military installation during the May 2025 conflict. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed that India’s Operation Sindoor targeted the strategically vital Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi, marking a significant shift from Islamabad’s earlier attempts to downplay the impact of the attacks.
Speaking at a year-end press briefing, Dar said that India launched a large-scale drone offensive over a 36-hour period. “At least 80 drones were sent,” he stated, adding that Pakistan claimed to have intercepted 79 of them. Despite this assertion, Dar admitted that one drone struck the Nur Khan airbase, damaging the facility and injuring personnel. The base is located less than 25 km from Islamabad and houses critical Pakistan Air Force assets.
Operation Sindoor was launched by India in the early hours of May 7, 2025, in response to the April 26 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 civilians were killed. The four-day military confrontation that followed brought the two nuclear-armed neighbours close to a wider conflict.
Dar also denied that Pakistan had sought international mediation during the crisis. He claimed that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan initiated contact, with Washington conveying India’s readiness for a ceasefire on May 10. According to Dar, Pakistan agreed, reiterating that it “never wanted to go to war.”
The admission comes days after Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari revealed he was advised to move to a bunker during the strikes but refused. Meanwhile, recent satellite images suggest reconstruction is underway at Nur Khan airbase, underscoring the scale of damage inflicted during Operation Sindoor.
