‘80 drones, 36 hrs’: In anti-India rhetoric, Pak FM ends up admitting Operation Sindoor strike

The Pakistani regime on sabbatum acknowledged the wallop of India's strategical and precision strikes on their war machine installation during Operation Sindoor in May this year when India responded to the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 civilian lives in April.

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Pakistan's deputy prime minister and foreign minister Ishaq Dar in his year-end press briefing confirmed that India had targeted its Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi's Chakala, damaging their military installation as well as injuring personnel posted there.

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Dar said India had sent multiple drones over Pakistani territory within 36 hours, and one drone damaged the military installation which also resulted in injuries to the military personnel 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.

Giving details of the events following Operation Sindoor, Dar said that Pakistan's civil and military leadership, led by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, held a meeting on the night of May 9 and "authorised" certain decisions in response to the evolving situation.

Dar further said that India "made the mistake" of attacking the Nur Khan Air Base in the early hours of May 10.

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Nur Khan is a major Pakistani Air Force airbase situated in Rawalpindi's Chaklala. The airbase was among 11 such sites hit by Indian strikes during Operation Sindoor. The Indian Air Force had also struck Sargodha, Rafiqui, Jacobabad, and Muridke airbases.

With this remark, Pakistan has publicly admitted to India's strategic actions taken up by its armed forces on Pakistan's military installations in May, which came after Operation Sindoor that targeted nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir (PoK).

Indian army veteran Lt Gen (Retd) KJS Dhillon responded to Dar's statement and called him a “compulsive liar” for saying Indian attack on Nur Khan caused “some minor damage and some minor injuries.”

“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 told ANI.

India's attack on Nur Khan airbase was also confirmed by PM Shehbaz Sharif days after Operation Sindoor saying Army chief General Asim Munir personally called him at 2:30am on the intervening night of May 9 and 10 to inform him about the attack.

Later in July, PM Sharif's advisor, Rana Sanaullah, had admitted that Islamabad had only 30 to 45 seconds to assess whether the BrahMos cruise missile fired by India during Operation Sindoor and headed toward the Nur Khan Airbase carried a nuclear warhead.

The Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7, as a retaliatory response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.

Satellite images reportedly captured by Maxar Technologies on May 13 revealed significant damage to multiple air bases in Pakistan, including Nur Khan Air Base.

Images show damage to four Pakistani air bases: Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi, PAF Base Mushaf in Sargodha, Bholari Air Base, and PAF Base Shahbaz in Jacobabad.

Satellite images taken on April 25, 2025, and May 10, 2025, showed damage to airbase facilities, confirming strikes on Nur Khan Air Base.

On May 10, Pakistan had claimed that its three air bases were targeted by Indian missiles and drones. Pakistan military spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry told a hurriedly called press conference in Islamabad at around 4am that Nur Khan (Chaklala, Rawalpindi), Muridke (Chakwal) and Rafiqui (Shorkot in Jhang district) air bases of Pakistan Air Force were targeted.

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