India’s Operation Sindoor hit key Pakistan air bases, Islamabad finally admits

• Pakistan admits damage from India's Operation Sindoor drone strikes in May
• Nur Khan Air Base and other military sites were hit, injuring personnel
• India targeted 11 air bases after April terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir

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Pakistan has publicly acknowledged the impact of India’s precision strikes carried out during Operation Sindoor in May, months after initially downplaying the damage. The admission comes after India launched the operation in response to the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, in which 26 civilians were killed.

At a year-end press briefing on December 27, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed that Indian drones struck the Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi’s Chaklala area, damaging the military facility and injuring 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 said.

Dar further stated that Pakistan’s civil and military leadership, led by Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, convened a meeting on the night of May 9 to assess the situation and authorise decisions in response. He also acknowledged that India “made the mistake” of attacking the Nur Khan Air Base in the early hours of May 10.

Nur Khan is a key Pakistan Air Force facility and was among 11 air bases targeted during Operation Sindoor. Other bases hit included those in Sargodha, Rafiqui, Jacobabad and Muridke. The Indian Armed Forces launched the operation in the early hours of May 7, initially striking nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir before targeting military installations.

Reacting to Dar’s remarks, Indian Army veteran Lt Gen (Retd) KJS Dhillon dismissed Pakistan’s claim of limited damage. He accused the Pakistani leadership of downplaying casualties and pointed to reports from Pakistan’s own media.

“Their own Samaa TV website on 14th August, 2025, on their Independence Day, published the names of 138 awardees for gallantry award who were killed in Operation Sindoor by Indian actions, and they were awarded posthumously. If 138 were awarded posthumously, that means at least 400 to 500 people had died during operations Sindoor because of military action. For him to say that some minor injuries don't add up. Nur Khan base was in flames. The videos were put out by Pakistani civilians. All eleven of their air bases were damaged very badly. We have shown separate images, videos of the damage that was done, but they will continue to tell their lies,” Dhillon said.

India’s strike on Nur Khan Air Base had earlier been confirmed by Shehbaz Sharif, who said Army Chief General Asim Munir personally informed him of the attack during the intervening night of May 9 and 10. In July, Sharif’s adviser Rana Sanaullah also acknowledged that Pakistan had only 30 to 45 seconds to determine whether a missile fired towards Nur Khan carried a nuclear warhead.

Satellite imagery from May reportedly showed substantial damage to several Pakistani air bases, including Nur Khan, Mushaf in Sargodha, Bholari, and Shahbaz in Jacobabad. On May 10, Pakistan had admitted that Indian missiles and drones targeted three of its air bases, Nur Khan, Muridke, and Rafiqui.

With Dar’s latest statement, Pakistan has formally acknowledged the scale and impact of India’s strategic military action during Operation Sindoor, marking a clear departure from its earlier denials.