‘Had 30 seconds to react': Pakistan PM's advisor on BrahMos missile strike on Nur Khan airbase

Hindustan Times

3 days ago

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's advisor, Rana Sanaullah, recently admitted that Islamabad had only 30 to 45 seconds to assess whether the BrahMos cruise missile fired by India during Operation Sindoor and headed toward the Nur Khan Airbase carried a nuclear warhead. Before Rana Sanaullah, several Pakistani leaders, including PM Shehbaz Sharif himself, have admitted to the attack on Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi. (X/@RanaSanaullahPK)
Sanaullah said that even the slightest misunderstanding or misjudgment in those critical seconds could have triggered a nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan.
The Indian armed forces on May 7 launched Operation Sindoor against the terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, a military operation carried out in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack that killed 26 people, mostly civilians. ALSO READ | 19 Brahmos, Crystal Maze missiles: How India brought Pakistan to its knees during Op Sindoor
Speaking to a Pakistani news channel, the Pakistani PM's adviser said, "When India fired a BrahMos missile that hit our Nur Khan airbase, Pakistan's military had just 30 or 45 seconds to analyse if the cruise missile had a nuclear warhead. And to decide anything in those 30 seconds was such a dangerous situation."
"I am not saying they did good by not using a nuclear warhead. But if people on this side misunderstood the situation, it could have led to an action from Pakistan or triggered one from India. Such a situation could have sparked a global nuclear war," Sanaullah added.
Nur Khan is a major Pakistani Air Force airbase situated in Rawalpindi's Chaklala. The airbase was among 11 such sites hit by Indian strikes during Operation Sindoor. The Indian Air Force had also struck Sargodha, Rafiqui, Jacobabad, and Murid airbases. ALSO READ | On May 10, Pakistan folded after brief fight
India had initially struck just terrorist infrastructures, belonging to outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammed, Hizbul Mujahideen, and Lashkar-e-Taiba, during the May 7 attacks. The forces also killed over 100 terrorists in the operation.
However, after Pakistan attempted to launch a retaliatory military attack, targeting the border cities, civilian and military infrastructure in India, New Delhi was prompted to deliver a massive blow with the strikes on Islamabad's airbases on the intervening night of May 9 and 10.
The strike on Nur Khan airbase was also later confirmed by Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif, who said that Army chief Asim Munir personally called him at 2:30 am on the night of May 9-10 to inform him about the attack.
Following an intense four days of fighting, on May 10, India and Pakistan reached a ceasefire understanding, agreeing to pause all military actions against each other with immediate effect.
Earlier in June, Pakistan's deputy prime minister Ishaq Dar had admitted that Islamabad requested a ceasefire after two of their key airbases were hit by India.
Dar was seen telling a news channel that Saudi Prince Faisal had called him after the attack on Pakistani airbases and asked if he could talk to Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar to convey that Islamabad was ready if India would stop the attacks. "I said yes, brother, you can. He then called me back, saying he had conveyed the same to Jaishankar," Dar added.