In a rare and big admission, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said that India, during Operation Sindoor, attacked two important airbases in Pakistan. Dar confirmed India attacked Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi and Shorkot Airbase. India carried out airstrikes against Pakistan on May 7, just days after the Pahalgam terror attack in which Pakistan-backed terrorists killed 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir.
Ishaq Dar Admits Pakistan Was Caught Off Guard
In the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, Pakistan denied any Indian attack on its air bases. However, Dar’s statement now confirms the Indian claim of striking and damaging these bases.
In response to the 22 April terror attack, India launched Operation Sindoor, which was a precise, measured and non-escalatory ” military action. India said it targeted terrorists and the supported infrastructure in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and mainland Pakistan.
Dar was speaking to Geo News’s Hamid Mir, where he admitted that the attacks happened just as Pakistan was preparing to strike back.
Pakistan Deputy PM Ishaq Dar’ openly admits 2 things in this interview
📍India struck the Nir Khan Air base and Shorkot Air base
📍 Ishaq Dar’ says Saudi Prince Faisal called him asking “Am I authorised to talk to Jaishankar also and CONVEY ..and you are READY TO TALK”… pic.twitter.com/45TJqnlWKu
— OsintTV 📺 (@OsintTV) June 19, 2025
India Hit Pakistan Before Pakistan Could Gather Itself: Ishaq Dar
According to Dar, Pakistan had planned a counterattack at 4:30 am on May 10, but India preemptively struck on the night of May 9-10 and disrupted those plans.
Dar hinted that India acted faster than Pakistan and caught them off guard under heavy missile strikes.
Dar knowingly or unknowingly contradicted his Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other ministers who had claimed that Pakistan had given a strong answer to India. However, Pakistan PM Sharif later accepted that India carried out BrahMos missile strikes targeting several air bases, including the Rawalpindi airport.
“India again launched missile attacks, BrahMos, and hit Pakistan’s various provinces, including the airport in Rawalpindi and other places,” said Sharif in a recent interview.
Ishaq Dar Reveals How Pakistan Reached To US For Deesclation
Speaking further, Dar revealed that Saudi Prince Faisal bin Salman personally contacted him within just 45 minutes of the Indian strikes.
“Saudi Prince Faisal bin Salman called and asked if he could tell Jaishankar that Pakistan is ready to stop,” Dar told Geo News. The prince wanted to speak to Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Pakistan’s behalf to calm the situation.
Dar also spoke about how Pakistan reached out to the US after Indian strikes. He revealed that Pakistan reached out to the US, requesting them to stop further military strikes from India.
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Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
