Pakistan Confirms Damage to Nur Khan Air Base from Indian Drones

Pakistan's government has publicly acknowledged the impact of recent Indian military operations, particularly regarding the damage inflicted on the Nur Khan Air Base, a significant military installation located in Rawalpindi. This admission was made by Ishaq Dar, the foreign minister and deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan, during a press conference held at the end of the year.

In his statements, Dar confirmed that India had launched a series of drone incursions into Pakistani airspace, stating that approximately 80 drones were sent towards Pakistan within a span of 36 hours. He claimed that Pakistan's defence systems intercepted 79 of the drones, while one drone successfully targeted the air base, resulting in damage to the facility and injuries to personnel stationed there.

"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," Dar stated, as reported by the news agency ANI.

Following these strikes, the Pakistani leadership convened an emergency meeting, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, to address the situation that escalated following the drone attacks. Dar noted that the Indian strike on the Nur Khan Air Base occurred in the early hours of May 10, describing it as a significant miscalculation on India's part.

This admission marks a rare instance of a senior Pakistani official acknowledging the reality of Indian military actions against Pakistani targets, particularly in light of the ongoing tensions between the two nations. The drone strikes were a component of Operation Sindoor, which the Indian Armed Forces launched in retaliation for a terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians on April 22.

India's Operation Sindoor was executed on May 7, targeting nine terror camps located in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The military operations led to increased cross-border tensions, with both sides engaging in heightened shelling and retaliatory strikes.

An unexpected development occurred when the Director General of Military Operations for Pakistan reached out to his Indian counterpart to propose a ceasefire, a proposal that India accepted. This move was later confirmed by India's Foreign Secretary, Vikram Misri, who stated that both nations agreed to halt all military operations across land, sea, and air.

Subsequent satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies, dated May 13, revealed substantial damage at several Pakistani air bases, including Nur Khan Air Base. The images indicated damage at four significant facilities: Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi, PAF Base Mushaf in Sargodha, Bholari Air Base, and PAF Base Shahbaz in Jacobabad. A comparison of satellite images taken before and after the strikes highlighted the extent of the destruction, corroborating the reports of military action.

This is not the first instance of a high-ranking Pakistani official acknowledging the strikes on Nur Khan Air Base. Earlier in May, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had remarked that Indian ballistic missiles had targeted the base, marking a departure from Pakistan's typical stance of denying Indian military operations.

During a ceremony at the Pakistan Monument on May 16, Sharif stated, "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. Our Air Force used homegrown technology to save our country, and they even used modern gadgets and technology on Chinese jets," as reported by Geo News.