Pakistan Admits India's Daring Strike: '80 Drones, 36 Hours' of Operation Sindoor

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has inadvertently acknowledged India's success in Operation Sindoor, a strategic strike that targeted Pakistan's military installations in May. Speaking at a year-end press briefing, Dar confirmed that India's precision strikes damaged the Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi's Chakala, injuring military personnel. According to Dar, India launched 80 drones over Pakistani territory within 36 hours, with one drone causing the damage at the air base. Pakistan's military leadership, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, held an emergency meeting on May 9 to discuss the evolving situation. The admission comes as a significant blow to Pakistan, which had initially claimed that only three air bases were targeted by Indian missiles and drones. However, satellite images taken by Maxar Technologies revealed significant damage to multiple air bases, including Nur Khan Air Base. This development has been corroborated by Indian army veteran Lt Gen (Retd) KJS Dhillon, who called Pakistan's Foreign Minister a "compulsive liar" for downplaying the impact of the strike. Dhillon pointed out that Pakistan had awarded posthumous gallantry awards to 138 personnel who were killed in Operation Sindoor, indicating a much higher casualty count than what Dar had suggested. The Operation Sindoor was launched by the Indian Armed Forces as a retaliatory response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The strike targeted nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, causing significant damage to Pakistan's military infrastructure.