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Economic Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Economic Times
Operation Sindoor: Pakistan's Dy PM Ishaq Dar finally admits they asked for ceasefire after India struck Nur Khan & other key airbases
Synopsis Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed that Islamabad requested a ceasefire after India struck key airbases during Operation Sindoor—a response to the Pahalgam terror attack. India's swift action caught Pakistan off guard. Dar's admission contradicts earlier claims of a strong Pakistani response. Saudi mediation followed within 45 minutes, highlighting the urgency Islamabad showed to halt further Indian strikes. Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has confirmed that Islamabad requested a ceasefire from New Delhi after India targeted the Nur Khan and other key air bases during Operation Sindoor, a retaliatory strike following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. ADVERTISEMENT India attacked the Nur Khan and Shorkot airbases on the intervening night of May 6 and 7. Dar disclosed that the strikes took place while Pakistan was still getting ready to respond, suggesting that India moved first and took them by surprise. Within 45 minutes of the strike, Saudi Prince Faisal offered to speak to the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on behalf of Pakistan's deputy PM, seeking to halt further action against Pakistan. ALSO READ: Shehbaz Sharif admits Pakistan caught unawares by Brahmos missile Dar's remarks suggest that Pakistan urgently sought support to convince India to stop its limited and targeted military operation, which was described as 'precise, measured and non-escalatory.'His confession stands in contrast to earlier statements by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior Pakistani officials, who had asserted that Pakistan had delivered a strong response to India. ADVERTISEMENT Prime Minister Sharif himself had also recently acknowledged that India conducted BrahMos missile strikes on multiple locations, including the Rawalpindi air force Base Nur Khan, situated in Chaklala, Rawalpindi is around 10km from Islamabad, Pakistan capital. It is an active airbase that encompasses the former Benazir Bhutto International Airport within its grounds. ADVERTISEMENT ALSO READ: Pakistan's AWACS destroyed in India's BrahMos strikes, admits ex-Air Marshal: 'missiles kept on coming' The facility, originally established as RAF Station Chaklala and later known as PAF Base Chaklala, continues to serve as a vital military installation in Pakistan. ADVERTISEMENT The base is also home to PAF College Chaklala, which trains Aviation Cadets, and Fazaia Inter College Nur Khan, providing additional educational facilities on the Gul, a defence analyst, claimed that the strategically important Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi is 'under American control.'Pakistan air force base Rafiqui, situated near Shorkot in Jhang District, is a major military installation located 337 kilometers south of Islamabad. The base features a 10,000-foot runway with a parallel taxiway that serves as an emergency landing strip. ADVERTISEMENT The airbase was previously known as PAF Base Shorkot before being renamed after Sarfaraz Ahmed Rafiqui, a fighter pilot from the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. ALSO READ: Operation Sindoor: How BrahMos strikes and precision airstrikes became turning points in the standoff The base's infrastructure includes a primary runway and an emergency taxiway system that allows for aircraft recovery operations when Sindoor was India's swift, calculated tri‑service cross-border assault on the dead night of May 6 and 7, targeting nine terror camps deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan‑occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the brutal April 22 Pahalgam massacre that claimed 26 innocent 25 minutes, India's Army, Navy and Air Force deployed SCALP cruise missiles, HAMMER smart bombs, loitering munitions and ground-to-ground weaponry, killing around 70 to 100 militants and crippling key Lashkar‑e‑Taiba, JeM and Hizbul Mujahideen infrastructure at Bahalwalpur and Muridke in terrorists thought they were sending a message when they murdered husbands in front of their wives, after selecting victims by their religion. Via the name Operation Sindoor, the government sent an immeasurably bigger message back as India avenged the loss suffered by those vermillion, is a symbol of marriage in Hindu custom. Pakistan's military-intelligence-jihadi complex would have been among the first to note the image put out by Indian Army right after government's confirmation of the strikes - Operation Sindoor in block letters, with the first 'O' represented by a bowl of vermillion. (With TOI inputs) (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel) Disclaimer Statement: This content is authored by a 3rd party. The views expressed here are that of the respective authors/ entities and do not represent the views of Economic Times (ET). ET does not guarantee, vouch for or endorse any of its contents nor is responsible for them in any manner whatsoever. Please take all steps necessary to ascertain that any information and content provided is correct, updated, and verified. ET hereby disclaims any and all warranties, express or implied, relating to the report and any content therein. NEXT STORY
India Today
6 days ago
- Business
- India Today
Stealth wars: Will Pakistan's J-35, KAAN jet deals to counter India spark new arms race in Asia?
Pakistan is embarking on a frenzied shopping spree to bolster its air combat capabilities after the military stand-off with India exposed the vulnerabilities of its air defence Islamabad has announced China's offer of 40 fifth-generation J-35 stealth fighter jets, 500-KJ AWACS and 19 HQ long-range anti-ballistic defence systems. Second, Pakistan intends to procure the KAAN fifth generation stealth fighter jet from Turkey. Ankara has repeatedly underlined 'brotherly' relations with Pakistan and has been supporting its position on Kashmir at international too is hitting the throttle on its stealth ambitions by expediting the indigenous fifth generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). It is in the process of issuing expression of interest to private players to join the minister Rajnath Singh, on May 27, cleared the execution model for the AMCA, marking a crucial phase in India's aerospace ambitions. According to the ministry of defence, the execution model will allow the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), the nodal design body for AMCA, to carry out the programme through a robust industry partnership. The model promises equal opportunity to both public and private sector players, enabling them to bid competitively—either independently, as joint ventures, or as consortia, under the umbrella of an Indian-registered company compliant with national the government had planned to adopt the special purpose vehicle route for the AMCA's development. Now, a shift towards an industry partnership model seems to be in motion. With private defence giants, such as L&T and Tata, emerging as key aerospace players, ADA believes this is the right time to empower the Indian private industry rather than continue to rely solely on the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).advertisement'We are very shortly coming out with expression of interest regarding the AMCA's development. Once finalised, the industry partner will be shortlisted for development, production and lifetime maintenance of the jet. The shortlisted partner does not have to invest in the development phase. They only have to invest in setting up a manufacturing infrastructure base,' said a key defence official privy to the AMCA week, the Pakistani government's social media account, in a list of diplomatic achievements credited to prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, said Islamabad had been offered '40 fifth-generation Shenyang J-35 stealth aircraft, Shaanxi KJ-500 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C), and HQ-19 air defence systems from China'. The post also said Azerbaijan and Pakistan had signed a $4.6 billion contract for the former to acquire 40 JF-17 fighter jets manufactured by the Pakistan Aeronautical observers claimed that while the KJ-500 is the latest airborne early warning aircraft design in Chinese service, serving with the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), J-35 jets are also expected to be equipped with PL-17 air-to-air missiles (range of 400 km, making it one of the longest-range air-to-air missiles in the world).Scheduled to begin arriving by August this year, the deal for J-35 jets is reportedly being offered at half the price, with Pakistani pilots already undergoing training in China. The J-35 is currently being developed for both China's PLAAF and People's Liberation Army Navy Air Force (PLANAF), with the latter expected to introduce the type onto its carrier air Pakistan has shown keen interest in the Turkish KAAN fighter jet. It has been reported that representatives from multiple institutions gathered at the eighth meeting of the Pakistan-Turkey Industrial Expo in Pakistan earlier this year and finalised plans for a partnership between Ankara and Islamabad for the production of Turkiye's KAAN fighter defence minister Yasar Guler had at that time reportedly confirmed an agreement for Pakistan's official participation in the KAAN jet project. Meanwhile, Indonesia has signed a contract to procure 48 KAAN fighter jets from Turkiye at an estimated cost of $10 billion. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2026. This shifts Indonesia's focus from additional Rafale orders. Jakarta, in 2022, had signed an agreement with Dassault Aviation for 42 Rafale jets at $8.1 its procurement spree, Pakistan has increased its defence spending by more than 20 per cent—the most substantial hike in a decade. Presenting the annual federal budget on June 10, finance minister Muhammad Aurangzeb proposed an allocation of 2.55 trillion rupees ($9 billion) for the country's three armed services, amounting to 1.97 per cent of Pakistan's gross domestic product (GDP), up from 1.7 per cent in the previous Pakistan scrambles to modernise its air force, questions arise about the implications of these deals on regional security and the balance of power. Experts believe the timing of these deals is notable, coming on the heels of Operation Sindoor, which showcased India's military capabilities and exposed Pakistan's air defence vulnerabilities. As Pakistan seeks to bolster its air power, it remains to be seen whether these acquisitions will be enough to tip the scales in its favour or spark a new arms race in the to India Today Magazine
India.com
11-06-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Operation Sindoor: Rafales, Sukhois Shot Down Pakistan's JF-17s, Mirages In Dogfight; India Set To Reveal Smoking Gun Evidence
New Delhi: Clouds parted. Secrets spilled. Under the cloak of night, the Indian Air Force launched a mission that would rattle Islamabad to its core. It was Operation Sindoor, a storm that tore through terror camps and left Pakistani war machines in flames. On the intervening night of May 6 and 7, the air throbbed with tension. Rafale and Sukhoi jets soared out of Indian bases. Precision. Power. Payloads locked. Targets across the border marked in red – terror launchpads nestled in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Airstrikes hit like thunderclaps. Explosions followed. Camp after camp, bunker after bunker flattened. Over 100 terrorists eliminated in minutes. The April 22 Pahalgam's bloodshed avenged. But the night did not end there. Pakistan scrambled its jets. JF-17s. Mirages. J-10Cs. Interceptors on a collision course. The dogfight was brutal. Aerial combat at lightning speed. Engines screamed. Missiles launched. Skies lit up. And then silence. Flames fell from the heavens. Pakistan's jets crashed and burned. Sources inside India's top defence establishment confirm that enemy aircraft shot down mid-air. India watched. Recorded. Tracked every move with AWACS and ground-based radar. The wreckage? Scattered across the rugged terrain of PoK. And India has the evidence. High-resolution satellite images. Infrared signatures. Radio logs. Visual confirmation from cockpit feeds. Soon, the truth will go public. Pakistan panicked. Cross-border firing intensified. Ceasefire torn to shreds. India retaliated with full force. Missiles rained down on major Pakistani airbases. Noor Khan. Rafiqui. Sukkur. Chunian. Rahim Yar Khan – once considered strategic strongholds. Now smoking craters. One hit after another. Pakistan's Chinese-made HQ-9 air defense systems shredded. Its backbone was broken. Operation Sindoor was a verdict – justice delivered at supersonic speed.
India.com
11-06-2025
- Politics
- India.com
20% PAF infrastructure destroyed, Chinese air defense failed miserably: US reveals stunning details about India's Op Sindoor, says Pakistan lost...
(File) India Pakistan war: The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) lost around 20 percent of its military infrastructure during Operation Sindoor as Pakistan's Chinese-made air defense systems 'failed miserably' to stop Indian missile strikes that leveled key military structures inside the enemy country, a new reports by a US-based defense forum has revealed. Chinese air defenses failed against Indian missiles According to the Indo-Pacific Defense Forum– a site related to the US Indo-Pacific Command– the United States kept a keen eye on last month's 4-day long India-Pakistan war, as the Pentagon was curious to gauge the quality and lethality of Chinese weapons being used by Pakistani forces. However, according to the report, the Chinese weapons systems, especially its air defense systems, used by Pakistan, were found wanting as India successfully struck strategic targets deep inside the country. Speaking to Agence France-Presse (AFP), Bilal Khan, founder of the Toronto-based Kuwa Defence News and Analysis Group, noted that Chinese surface-to-air missile systems 'do not appear to be as effective as the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) may have hoped.' Similarly, Sajjan Gohel, International Security Director at London-based think tank, Asia-Pacific Foundation, told CNN that Beijing's ability to sell its weapons, as well as its credibility, takes a major hit if 'Chinese-origin radars or missile systems indeed failed to detect or prevent Indian attacks'. PAF lost 20 percent infrastructure As per the report, on the fourth day and last of fighting, the Indian Air Force (IAF) conducted precision missile strikes on as many as 11 Pakistani airbases, completely destroying about 20 percent of total military infrastructure of the Pakistan Air Force. Earlier, Pakistan had rejected these claims as an exaggeration, but satellite images from US defense agencies prove that the damage claimed by India was indeed true. The fact has been confirmed by several reputed publications, including the New York Times, the report said. In an article in The Japan Times, Indian geostrategist Brahma Chellaney wrote that India neutralized at least one SAAB-2000 airborne early warning system (AWACS). Chellaney claims the AWACS was shot down by an Indian surface-to-air missile fired from 314 kilometers away. According to Chellaney, Western media and experts have analyzed the conflict between India and Pakistan for about a month, citing satellite pictures and other sources, and found that Indian air strikes destroyed major Pakistani air bases including Noor Khan and Bholari. 'The attack on Nur Khan, near Pakistan's nuclear command and army headquarters, was symbolic,' he writes, adding that 'Indian cruise missiles hitting Nur Khan sent a calculated message that India was targeting high-value targets and Pakistan had no means to defend itself.'
News18
11-06-2025
- Business
- News18
Guns Over Growth: Pakistan's Defence Budget Hike A Survival Tactic After Op Sindoor Exposed Failures?
Last Updated: The defence budget hike has prompted concerns that funds will be diverted towards rehabilitating and building terror camps destroyed during Operation Sindoor, sources said. Pakistan is prioritising military spending over development, as evidenced by a significant 20 per cent increase in the defence budget, announced weeks after India's Operation Sindoor destroyed several terror sites in the country. This decision by the Shehbaz Sharif-led government appears to be an attempt to satisfy Field Marshal General Asim Munir's demands. The recent escalation in military expenditures underscores urgent requirements following India's precision strikes between May 7-10, 2025, which revealed critical weaknesses in Pakistan's air defence systems, top intelligence sources have told CNN-News18. Intelligence sources confirm that Chinese and Turkish systems, including HQ-9 SAMs and Bayraktar TB2 drones, were unable to intercept Indian drones and missiles. Major losses occurred at the Nur Khan airbase, necessitating a complete strategy overhaul. These failures highlighted Pakistan's technological inferiority, shared by China, in countering India's SkyStriker kamikaze drones and SCALP cruise missiles. China, aiming to enter the Tier 1 weapon market, is perpetuating a false narrative of success from Operation Sindoor, sources said. This budget increase, likely influenced by China, grants more control to Rawalpindi at the expense of Pakistan's economic stability. Despite a $22 billion debt crisis and fresh IMF loans, Pakistan has diverted funds towards military spending, ignoring warnings of fiscal unsustainability. The budget hike has prompted concerns that funds will be diverted towards rehabilitating and building terror camps destroyed during Operation Sindoor, sources said. Intelligence sources also suggest that Pakistan's spending will target vulnerabilities exposed during the conflict, including the acquisition of J-35 stealth fighters, with the first batch of 30 arriving in August 2025 at a 50 per cent discount from China. Pakistan is also acquiring PL-17 missiles with a 400km range to counter Indian AWACS and refuelers, following the failure of PL-15 missiles. Additionally, Pakistan aims to modernise its navy with Type 039B submarines and Jinnah-class frigates to secure sea lanes amid Indian naval superiority. Another significant focus of the budget increase is on Space and ISR capabilities, intending to enhance interactions with Chinese BeiDou satellites for real-time battlefield surveillance, especially after India's actions left Pakistan's reconnaissance capabilities blinded. Furthermore, the budget hike is seen as a measure to suppress domestic threats, such as those from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, under the guise of addressing external threats from India. According to intelligence sources, Pakistan's defence budget increase is a survival tactic following the battlefield failures exposed during Operation Sindoor. First Published: June 11, 2025, 11:14 IST
