'When BrahMos hit Nur Khan base, we had 30 seconds ...': Top Pak official reveals how India stoked Islamabad's fears

File photo of India's BrahMos missile

A top Pakistani government official has indirectly admitted that India's BrahMos missile strike on the strategic Nur Khan airbase marked a turning point in the four-day military conflict, adding that the attack may have even led to a full blown nuclear war.

Rana Sanaullah Khan, who serves as the special assistant to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, claimed during an interview that US President Donald Trump's intervention helped avoid a nuclear war in the region.

"When India fired ... Harmus (BrahMos) and it struck our Nur Khan airbase. The Pakistani government had just 30-45 seconds to analyse whether the missile has any atomic payload. To make such a decision in just 30 seconds is a dangerous thing," he said.

Khan then resorted to the familiar Pakistani fearmongering, saying that India's strike could have led to a misunderstanding that it was a nuclear attack on his country. Notably, India has no-first use policy for its nuclear weapons.

"I am not saying that India was right in not sending a nuclear payload. But it could have created a misunderstanding leading to catastrophic nuclear war. You cannot imagine the destruction that could have followed," he said.

Khan went on to credit Trump for stopping the conflict, a claim that India has thoroughly rejected since it was the Pakistani DGMO who reached out to his Indian counterpart after the escalation hit a tipping point on May 10.

"US President Donald Trump played a role in such a situation and saved the whole world from such a disaster. There is a need for an independent evaluation of his (Trump's) role. And it needs to be appreciated. The Pakistan government has praised this act," he said.

Earlier, Pakistan army chief Asim Munir had recommended a Nobel Prize for Trump for his alleged role in stopping the conflict in an effort to secure a luncheon with the US President.

The Pakistani official's claims indicated that India's decisive strike on the Pakistani airbases, including the Nur Khan base, exposed Islamabad's deepest fears.

The strategic airbase is located just 10km from Pakistan's capital Islamabad and serves as a highly sensitive military compound.

Surrounding the erstwhile Benazir Bhutto International Airport, the base, formerly RAF Station Chaklala, handles both military operations and VIP transport missions. It houses multiple transport squadrons, aerial refueling units, and PAF College Chaklala, a training ground for future air force leaders.

According to a report in The New York Times, the base also serves as a central transport hubs for Pakistan’s military and the home to the air refueling capability that powers Pakistani fighter jets.

However, the most significant detail is that the base lies in close proximity to the headquarters of Pakistan’s Strategic Plans Division, which oversees and secures the country’s nuclear arsenal—now estimated to comprise 170 or more warheads. These warheads are believed to be spread across various locations throughout the country.