In a rare public statement, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif acknowledged that early on May 10, Indian ballistic missiles hit the Nur Khan Airbase and other locations within Pakistan. Speaking at a ceremony in Islamabad, Mr. Sharif recalled receiving a call at 2:30 AM from General Syed Asim Munir, the Chief of Army Staff, alerting him to India’s missile attacks. “In the intervening night of May 9-10, around 2:30 AM, General Asif Munir called me through a secure phone and told me India has launched its ballistic missiles. One has landed at the Nur Khan airbase and some at other areas,” Prime Minister Sharif said in a public address.
An important military installation that has long been essential to Pakistan’s air operations is the Nur Khan Airbase, which is situated between Rawalpindi and Islamabad. During the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war, Indian soldiers also targeted the area, which was once known as Chaklala Airbase. “Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif himself admits that General Asim Munir called him at 2:30am to inform him that India had bombed Nur Khan Air Base and several other locations. Let that sink in – the Prime Minister was woken up in the middle of the night with news of strikes deep inside Pakistan. This speaks volumes about the scale, precision, and boldness of #OperationSindoor,” BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya wrote on X, sharing a video of the Pakistani Prime Minister’s address.
The Indian strikes were part of Operation Sindoor, a military retaliation that was started on May 7 in reaction to the terror incident in Pahalgam on April 22 that killed 26 Indians. Government sources claim that during this operation, about 100 terrorists connected to organisations including Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizbul Mujahideen, and Jaish-e-Mohammed were killed.
During the campaign, the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force (IAF) coordinated their efforts to target vital military installations and terror infrastructure throughout Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). At least 11 known targets were targeted, including communication centres, radar stations, and airfields. The PAF bases at Sargodha and Chaklala (Nur Khan) were among the first targets hit in the early hours of May 10. Later, impacts at Jacobabad, Bholari, and Skardu were verified by satellite imagery.
Following the strikes, Pakistan launched numerous drone and missile operations against Indian military installations in Jammu and Kashmir, as well as portions of Punjab and Gujarat, and participated in retaliatory artillery fire across the Line of Control (LoC). This led to additional Indian attacks on Pakistan’s logistics and radar systems.
Shortly after the initial round of Indian attacks, high-alert conversations within Pakistani military networks were intercepted by Indian intelligence. According to analysts, Pakistan was preparing for the possibility that nuclear command-and-control nodes would be targeted. According to reports, Rawalpindi’s Strategic Plans Division offices were placed on high alert. Pakistan reportedly requested immediate US action due to concerns about escalation.
The United States urged the Pakistani side to notify the formal military hotline very away, according to Indian government officials. On the afternoon of May 10, Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO), Major General Kashif Abdullah, contacted his Indian counterpart, Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai. The call, made at 15:35 IST, was confirmed later that day by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.
India and Pakistan decided to stop all military actions on land, in the air, and at sea on the evening of May 10 as a result of the hotline conversation. However, hours later, many Pakistani drones were identified and caught by Indian radar systems over western Gujarat and Jammu & Kashmir. The Indian military forces had taken “appropriate and proportionate responses” and were ready for any further escalation, Foreign Secretary Misri said, accusing Pakistan of breaking the ceasefire accord. In addition, India reaffirmed that the ceasefire will not be used to undo the Indus Waters Treaty suspension that had been declared in reaction to the attack on April 22.
