Modified MAXAR Image      
Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has publicly acknowledged that India launched approximately 80 drones towards Pakistani territory over 36 hours during Operation Sindoor in May 2025.

This rare admission came during a year-end press conference on 27 December 2025, marking a shift from Islamabad's earlier denials of significant damage to its military infrastructure. Dar specified that Pakistani forces intercepted 79 of the drones, with only one striking a military installation at the strategic PAF Base Nur Khan—also known as Noor Khan—in Rawalpindi's Chaklala area, causing damage and injuring personnel.

Operation Sindoor represented India's retaliatory strikes against terrorist infrastructure following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack on 22 April 2025, which claimed 26 civilian lives, primarily Hindu tourists, in Jammu and Kashmir's Baisaran Meadows.

The Resistance Front, an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, initially claimed responsibility before retracting it amid accusations of a hack. India initiated the operation on 7 May 2025, targeting nine terror camps linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, with strikes described as precise and non-escalatory.

The drone offensive formed part of an escalated phase around 10 May, when India expanded targets to include Pakistani air bases amid cross-border exchanges. Satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies, captured before and after the strikes on 25 April and 10 May, corroborated damage at Nur Khan, alongside other sites like Murid and Bholari air bases, where F-16s and JF-17s were reportedly stationed. Reports indicated over 50 Pakistani casualties, including Squadron Leader Usman Yusuf, and destruction of fighter jets and ammunition depots.

Dar's statement highlighted Pakistan's emergency response, noting a high-level meeting on the night of 9 May led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to authorise countermeasures.

Pakistan retaliated with Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos, launching drones and missiles at Indian positions, marking the first drone conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours. Cross-border shelling persisted until Pakistan's DGMO requested a ceasefire on 10 May, which India accepted.

This confirmation contrasts sharply with Pakistan's initial claims that Indian strikes hit civilian areas like mosques, resulting in 31 deaths, while India maintained focus on militant sites. Earlier admissions by Sharif himself in May had hinted at ballistic missile impacts on Nur Khan, but Dar's detailed drone account underscores the operation's scale. The remarks, amid anti-India rhetoric, inadvertently validate India's precision capabilities and strategic restraint.

Nur Khan Air Base holds critical importance as a frontline facility near Islamabad, housing transport aircraft, VIP operations, and proximity to Pakistan's nuclear command infrastructure.

The single successful strike disrupted operations there, contributing to Pakistan's swift ceasefire overture after three days of hostilities. Analysts note that such admissions bolster India's narrative of effective deterrence against cross-border terrorism.

Based On Republic World Video Report