New Delhi: In a rare public concession nearly eight months after the brief but intense India-Pakistan military standoff, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has acknowledged that India’s Operation Sindoor inflicted damage on the strategically vital Noor Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi, injuring personnel stationed there.
Speaking at a year-end press briefing on December 27, Dar revealed that over 80 Indian drones targeted Pakistani military sites in a 36-hour window during the May 2025 escalation. He claimed Pakistan intercepted 79 of them but admitted one drone struck the Noor Khan facility, causing “damage to a military installation and personnel injuries”.
The airbase, located in Chaklala near Pakistan’s military headquarters, is one of the Pakistan Air Force’s most sensitive installations.
Operation Sindoor was launched by India on May 7 in retaliation for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, where 26 civilians were killed by Pakistan-backed militants. Indian forces targeted nine terror camps and military sites, including Noor Khan, using precision strikes with drones and missiles.
The admission comes amid satellite imagery showing ongoing reconstruction at the base. Dar described the strike as a “mistake” by India while downplaying the extent of damage. Indian officials and veterans have dismissed this minimisation, pointing to evidence of its significant impact.
Adding historical irony, the airbase bears the name of Air Chief Marshal Noor Khan, a 1941 Indian Air Force veteran who joined the Pakistan Air Force post-partition and led it during the 1965 war. In later years, he criticised Pakistan’s military adventurism, calling the 1965 conflict a mistake and urging peace.
This disclosure underscores the lingering scars of the May confrontation and highlights shifting narratives in bilateral tensions.