In a dramatic public confession, Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has confirmed that the nation was forced to ask for a ceasefire with India after precision missile raids on two Pakistani airbases. The comments, made on national TV, have caused a buzz on social media and represent a rare admission by Pakistan's top leadership regarding the severity of India's Operation Sindoor, launched in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack in April that killed 26 civilians.

Deputy PM Dar announced that early on May 10, India attacked the Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi and the PAF Base Rafiqui in Shorkot, Punjab province. Nur Khan base, situated between Rawalpindi and Islamabad, is one of Pakistan's most sensitive military facilities, handling both VIP transportation and vital air operations. He said, "...unfortunately, India once again launched missile strikes at 2:30 am. They attacked the Nur Khan air base and Shorkot air base... Within 45 minutes, Saudi Prince Faisal called me. He said he had just learnt about my conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He asked if he was authorised to talk to India's External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, and convey that we are ready. I said yes, brother, you can. He then called me back, saying he had conveyed the same to Jaishankar."

Thus, it becomes clear that Pakistan reached out to both the United States and Saudi Arabia for backchannel diplomacy after the strikes. Prince Faisal of Saudi Arabia reportedly called Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Dar’s request to initiate de-escalation. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif echoed the same a month back, he also recognized the Indian strikes in a speech at the Pakistani airbases. “At around 2:30 am on May 10, General Asim Munir informed me over secure line that India’s ballistic missiles had struck Nur Khan Airbase and other locations,” Sharif said.

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India Operated Sindoor After Pahalgam Attack

The missile strikes were part of Operation Sindoor, India's retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir. On the intervening night of May 7-8, India allegedly attacked nine terror camps in Pakistan. At 3:35 pm on May 10, Pakistan DGMO Maj. Gen. Kashif Abdullah made a direct call to India's Lt. Gen. Rajiv Ghai, and the two agreed to suspend all military operations along land, air, and sea at 5:00 pm that evening.

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Despite the accord, Pakistan broke the ceasefire within hours, triggering new Indian warnings. The acknowledgment of the strike damage and the under-pressure diplomatic overtures point to a significant change in Pakistan's traditional denial-oriented stance. The PAF Base Rafiqui, which houses JF-17s, Mirage 5s, and Alouette III helicopters, also experienced infrastructure damage from Indian precision strikes.