Islamabad has publicly outlined new details about India’s Operation Sindoor air campaign in May, offering a more extensive account of the strikes on its military infrastructure. Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar provided an updated narrative last week, revealing that a significant number of drones and Pakistani defensive actions were involved during the four-day conflict.
Dar stated that India had deployed at least 80 drones over a 36-hour period early in the operation aimed at Pakistan’s Nur Khan airbase in the Rawalpindi region. According to his remarks, Pakistan’s air defence forces intercepted 79 of the 80 drones, while the remaining strike prompted Pakistan’s “retaliatory operation.” The Deputy Prime Minister said this occurred in the early hours of May 10, amid heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
The Pakistani account frames India’s strategic strikes as the catalyst for escalation, asserting that Islamabad did not seek mediation during the crisis. Dar claimed that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had contacted him to indicate India’s readiness for a ceasefire, and that Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan also reached out to facilitate dialogue leading to an agreed ceasefire.
Dar’s assertions included the claim that Pakistan shot down seven Indian jets during aerial engagements over May 7 and subsequent days, though no substantiating evidence has been provided publicly.
This detailed admission marks a shift from Pakistan’s earlier, more subdued descriptions of the impact of the operation. Analysts note that Nur Khan, a key Pakistan Air Force base strategically located less than 25 kilometres from Islamabad, was significantly affected — details that were largely absent from prior official statements. Satellite imagery in recent weeks has shown reconstruction activity at the base, indicating efforts to restore facilities damaged during the strikes.
In related comments, President Asif Ali Zardari acknowledged that his military secretary had advised him to seek shelter in a bunker as the conflict unfolded, an indication of the seriousness with which Pakistan’s leadership perceived the situation at the time. Zardari said he chose not to do so, expressing a preference for shared risk alongside the nation’s armed forces.
The broader backdrop to these admissions is India’s stated motive for Operation Sindoor, which New Delhi says was launched on May 7 in response to a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 26 that killed 26 civilians. India has not disclosed specific details of the weapons used, but defence analysts have speculated that long-range systems like the BrahMos and SCALP missiles may have been employed to target strategic assets at Nur Khan.
Despite Islamabad’s claims and counterclaims, tensions remain heightened, with Pakistan reiterating its position that lasting peace in the region will depend upon a negotiated settlement of the longstanding Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
