Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has issued a rare and direct statement admitting that India had carried out missile and drone strikes on key military bases of Pakistan, including the Noor Khan airbase, during “Operation Sindoor”. This statement is being considered as a major reversal from Pakistan amid various claims regarding the complementary steps taken during the conflict and the subsequent tension. The tension between India and Pakistan reached its peak when 26 tourists were killed in a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April 2025. The Indian government described it as a serious terrorist act and launched a military operation named Operation Sindoor soon afterwards. Its objective was to target terrorist hideouts and terrorist support networks in Pakistan.
BREAKING || Pak’s Big ‘Op Sindoor’ Admission
We don’t need any admission from Pakistan. Our DGMO and Army told us how they went inside and destroyed terror camps and military bases. But the Congress chose not to believe it….: @shehzad_ind speaks to @henegambhir pic.twitter.com/u6JhwTwzEF
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) December 27, 2025
Dar clarified in his statement that India’s precise and swift action took Pakistan by surprise, and it consequently sought a peaceful solution in the short term to stop the conflict. He said Indian missiles and drone strikes caused heavy damage to the runways, hangars and military infrastructure of the Pakistani airbase. Its impact was so deep that Pakistan approached some countries at high levels for mediation, including the role of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, who offered to immediately talk to Dar. Prior to this statement, Pakistan government and military officials had denied that India had targeted airbases so precisely and comprehensively. It was previously claimed that no significant losses were confirmed or that Pakistani air defenses repulsed most of the attacks. But now Dar’s confession has undermined that narrative, indicating that India’s strategy had been effective, and Pakistan had to adopt a peaceful option amid unprecedented circumstances. According to his statement, within just 45 minutes of the attack the Saudi crown prince contacted Dar on phone and Indian External Affairs Minister S. Proposed talks to reach a peaceful resolution to Jaishankar. According to Dar, Pakistan itself indicated that it was ready for talks rather than escalating the conflict.
According to analysts, this recognition shows that Operation Sindoor was not just a strategic response, but it also created new lines of tension in the region. India had described the operation as “precise, controlled and non-escalator”, providing a direct response to cross-border terrorism and its support networks. At the same time, it became clear from Pakistan’s statement that the attacks on those airbases affected its military anticipation and response capability.
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