Pakistan FM Confirms India’s May Strikes on Nur Khan Air Base, Reports Damage and Injuries
Ishaq Dar acknowledges precision drone attack on Rawalpindi base following Operation Sindoor retaliation
Islamabad, Dec 28: Pakistan has officially acknowledged the impact of India’s strategic strikes on its military installations during the May escalation following Operation Sindoor. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed on Saturday that India targeted the Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi’s Chaklala, causing damage and injuring personnel.
During a year-end press briefing, Dar detailed that India had sent multiple drones over Pakistani territory within 36 hours, with one drone damaging the military installation. “They (India) sent drones towards Pakistan. In 36 hours, at least 80 drones were sent… We were able to intercept 79 drones, and only one caused damage, injuring personnel as well,” Dar stated.
Dar elaborated that Pakistan’s civil and military leadership, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, convened on May 9 to respond to the situation. He further admitted that India “made the mistake” of striking the Nur Khan Air Base in the early hours of May 10, confirming the precision and scale of the operation.
The strikes followed Operation Sindoor, launched by India on May 7 to target nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. The military escalation led to cross-border exchanges, which were eventually halted after Pakistan’s DGMO proposed a ceasefire to India, accepted by both sides, as confirmed by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.
Satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies on May 13 revealed significant damage to four Pakistani air bases, including Nur Khan in Rawalpindi, Mushaf in Sargodha, Bholari, and Shahbaz in Jacobabad. Earlier images taken on April 25 and May 10 further confirmed the extent of the damage.
This is not the first acknowledgment of India’s May strikes by top Pakistani officials. In May, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had admitted that India’s ballistic missiles hit Nur Khan and other installations, a rare statement diverging from Pakistan’s usual stance of denial.
The admission underscores the precision of India’s strategic actions and highlights the high-stakes military and diplomatic tensions between the two countries during the May escalation.
