India pre-empted strike, admits Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has for the first time publicly admitted that the Indian armed forces pre-empted Islamabad’s planned offensive on the intervening night of May 9-10 when his nation’s key military bases, including Rawalpindi, were targeted using BrahMos missiles.

The Tribune was the first to report in its edition dated May 11 that the Indian Air Force’s Sukhoi-30 MKI jets had attacked Pakistan’s airbases with BrahMos, making it the first operational firing of the long-range missile.

Speaking at the Pakistan-Turkey-Azerbaijan trilateral summit in Lachin (Azerbaijan), Sharif said the Pakistani military, led by Field Marshal Asim Munir, had planned to attack India on May 10 at 4.30 am after the morning prayers.

“On the night of May 9-10, we decided to respond in a measured way to Indian aggression. Our armed forces were prepared to act at 4.30 in the morning after Fajr prayers to teach (India) a lesson. But before that hour could arrive, India again launched a missile attack using BrahMos, targeting various provinces of Pakistan and the airbase in Rawalpindi,” said Sharif.

The PM said India destroyed Noor Khan (Rawalpindi) and Murid (Chakwal) bases before Pakistan’s planned attack.

India unleashed its BrahMos supersonic cruise missile as part of Operation Sindoor in retaliatory strikes on Pakistani bases. A ceasefire was announced between New Delhi and Islamabad on May 10 after the Pakistan DGMO reached out to his Indian counterpart to stop military action.