Face-saving bid falls flat as Pakistan defence minister admits to damages from Indian airstrikes

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif

Pakistan's defence minister Khawaja Asif, in a recent interview, appeared to inadvertently confirm that the Indian Armed Forces had conducted strikes on at least three Pakistani airbases as part of Operation Sindoor.

The operation was launched on May 7 in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack -- which claimed the lives of 26 civilians -- aimed at dismantling the terror infrastructure across the Line of Control and deeper inside Pakistan.

The minister listed the Nur Khan airbase near Rawalpindi, Rahimyar Khan airbase in southern Punjab and Bholari airbase near Jamshoro in Sindh as the sites that were attacked by India.

Even as the defence minister said there were “minor losses” and tried to dismiss the damage with humour, the comments effectively confirmed that the strikes launched by India had targeted key Pakistani airbases during the heightened tensions between the two nations.

Khawaja Asif’s Comedy Show Continues 🎭 In an attempt to crack a joke, Pakistan's Def Min accidentally confessed that the Indian Armed Forces actually struck 3 air bases: 📍 Nur Khan Airbase – “Just a little damage,” he smiled. (Meanwhile, the world saw a C-130 aircraft doing a… pic.twitter.com/XYaAxG6ON7

— OsintTV 📺 (@OsintTV) July 2, 2025

Earlier, Pakistan's deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar had also acknowledged that India targeted their two key airbases - Nur Khan airbase and Shorkot airbase during Operation Sindoor.

Satellite images shared previously of the Indian strikes showed the extent of damage caused to Pakistan airbases including Nur Khan and Rahimyar Khan. The bases hit included Nur Khan (Chaklala), Rafiqui, Murid, Sukkur, Sialkot, Pasrur, Chunian, Sargodha, Skardu, Bholari, and Jacobabad.

The biggest 'hit' was perhaps at the Nur Khan airbase, previously known as PAF Chaklala, in Rawalpindi, the headquarters of the Pakistan army. “The targets hit by India included technical infrastructure, command and control centers, radar sites, and weapon storage areas,” Colonel Sofiya Qureshi said at a special joint briefing of defence and external affairs ministry.

In the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, Pakistan initiated a series of retaliatory drone and UCAV attacks targeting key Indian airbases and logistics infrastructure. These attempts, however, were effectively neutralised by India’s comprehensive and multilayered air defence architecture, according to an official statement.