In a rare public admission, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has confirmed that Islamabad sought an urgent ceasefire in the wake of Operation Sindoor—India’s forceful military retaliation to the April 22, 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 tourists in Jammu & Kashmir.
Speaking in a televised interview, Dar revealed that Pakistan was compelled to seek international mediation after Indian air strikes targeted two of its most strategic airbases—Nur Khan in Rawalpindi and Shorkot (PAF Base Rafiqui) in Punjab—on the night of May 7–8. Both installations are critical to Pakistan’s air command structure, with Nur Khan also serving as a base for VIP and strategic air operations.
The strikes triggered a diplomatic scramble, with Pakistan appealing to both the United States and Saudi Arabia for intervention. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal, after consultations with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, reached out to Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, conveying Pakistan’s willingness to de-escalate if India agreed to halt further military action. The high-level mediation reflected the intensity of the crisis and the global urgency to prevent further escalation between two nuclear-armed states.
Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the Pahalgam attack, marked a decisive shift in India’s counter-terror doctrine. The Indian Air Force carried out precision strikes on nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, followed by attacks on 11 Pakistani airbases, including Nur Khan and Rafiqui, on May 10. The strikes reportedly inflicted heavy damage on runways, radars, command centers, and destroyed a crucial AWACS surveillance aircraft, crippling Pakistan’s early-warning capabilities.
The confrontation ended in a tentative ceasefire, achieved through military hotline communications and diplomatic intervention from Washington and Riyadh. However, violations were reported shortly after, underscoring the fragile nature of the truce and ongoing tensions in the region.
Operation Sindoor is now viewed as a defining moment in India’s evolving security posture—showcasing its ability to exercise escalation dominance through swift, high-impact retaliation, while exposing the perilous brinkmanship between rival nuclear powers.