The four-day military confrontation between India and Pakistan in May 2025 still remains a topic of discussion. In this conflict, Operation Sindoor launched by India has caused huge damage to many important military bases of Pakistan. The most discussed among these was Noor Khan Airbase located in Rawalpindi, the special thing is that Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar publicly admitted for the first time that Noor Khan Airbase was damaged in Indian drone attacks. After this confession, the question arose in the minds of people that who was Noor Khan, in whose name such an important airbase of Pakistan is built. So let us know who was Noor Khan, in whose name the Pakistani airbase was destroyed by India in Operation Sindoor.

Who was Noor Khan?

Noor Khan was not just an army officer, but he was one of the few. Who have played an important role in the air forces of both India and Pakistan. His life started with the Indian Air Force and has reached the post of Chief of the Pakistan Air Force. Interestingly, in the last years of his life, he openly criticized many military policies of Pakistan. Noor Khan was born in 1923. When India and Pakistan were a single country, he studied at the Royal Indian Military College and was commissioned as a pilot officer in the undivided Indian Air Force (IAF) on 6 January 1941.

At that time, there were very few Indian officers in the Indian Air Force, but Noor Khan was considered a very talented and courageous pilot from the beginning. He took flying training on aircraft such as Westland Wapiti, Hawker Hart and Hawker Audax. During World War II he flew many risky missions on the India-Burma front. His fellow officers say that Noor Khan had a passion for flying and he never shied away from flying the most difficult aircraft.

Selection of Pakistan Air Force after partition

At the time of partition of the country in 1947, Noor Khan had a choice. India or Pakistan, his native region had gone to Pakistan and many of his fellow officers were also going to Pakistan Air Force, so he chose Pakistan Air Force (PAF). His career in Pakistan progressed rapidly and in 1965 he became Air Chief Marshal of Pakistan Air Force. Noor Khan was the chief of Pakistan Air Force during the 1965 war. Later he himself admitted that this war was started by Pakistan and the country was not fully prepared for it. However, he also admitted that in post-war Pakistan, propaganda was promoted instead of truth and an impartial review was never conducted. According to him, if the right lessons had been learned from that war, a major defeat like 1971 could have been avoided.

Noor Khan became a critic of Pakistan’s policies

In the last years of his life, Noor Khan became a major critic of Pakistan’s military thinking. He openly said that the 1965 war was Pakistan’s fault, India had only acted in self-defence. India-Pakistan war was not a war of any religion. He also said that the root of Pakistan’s problems lies in its military thinking and repeatedly adopting the path of war.

Noor Khan Airbase and Operation Vermillion

The airbase named after Noor Khan is a major military base of Pakistan. The Indian Air Force targeted this airbase during Operation Sindoor in May 2025. Now Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has also accepted that this airbase was damaged in Indian drone attacks and the soldiers deployed there were injured. It is, in a way, a paradox of history that decades later, the airbase named after a person who once served the country in the Indian Air Force was targeted by India in a military action.

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After seven months, Pakistan has accepted the big truth regarding India’s Operation Sindoor. Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has admitted that India had attacked Noor Khan Air Force Base on the morning of May 10. This is the first time after the four-day long India-Pakistan military confrontation that Pakistan has openly acknowledged the attack. It is believed that this attack was carried out very accurately with BrahMos missile, which caused huge damage to the airbase.

Pakistan admitted- attack on Noor Khan airbase
Ishaq Dar said that on the morning of 10 May, India attacked Noor Khan airbase. He told that after this Pakistan retaliated. Till now Pakistan was not talking clearly about this attack, but after seven months it has been accepted publicly for the first time.

BrahMos’ accurate target, huge damage to the airbase
Dar did not directly name BrahMos, but it is clear from his statement that the Indian attack was very accurate. Experts say that Noor Khan Airbase suffered a lot of damage in this attack, which Pakistan was trying to hide for a long time.

Pakistan did not ask for mediation
Dar also said that during the conflict in May, Pakistan did not seek help from any country for talks with India. However, he claimed that America and Saudi Arabia themselves wanted to talk to India.

America and Saudi Arabia played role
According to Ishaq Dar, at 8:17 am on May 10, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called him and told him that India is ready to stop the war. Dar said that Pakistan also did not want war. After this, the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia contacted him and asked for permission to talk to India. Later, an agreement was reached between the two countries to stop the war.

Claims of shooting down drones and jets, no evidence
Dar claimed that Pakistan intercepted 79 out of 80 Indian drones and seven Indian fighter aircraft were shot down in the aerial conflict on May 7. However, he did not present any evidence in support of these claims.

President Zardari’s statement: ‘Refused to go to the bunker’
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari told that during Operation Sindoor he was advised to hide in the bunker. He said that he refused to accept this advice. In Zardari’s words, ‘If we have to die, we will die here.’ Leaders do not hide in bunkers.

Praising the army and talking about peace
Zardari said that Pakistan wants peace, but is fully prepared for its security. He praised Army Chief General Asim Munir and called it a ‘right reply’ given to India. He also said that resolution of the Kashmir issue is necessary for lasting peace in the region.

Why did Operation Sindoor start?
India started Operation Sindoor on 7 May. This action was taken in response to the Pahalgam attack, in which 26 civilians were killed. India targeted terrorist hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. After this, there was an intense conflict between the two countries for four days, which ended with the decision to stop the war on May 10.

Operation Sindoor: Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar confessed in an interview that India had destroyed his airbase. However, he also said that when the Indian Army started the attack, Saudi Prince Faisal bin Salman talked to him within the next 45 minutes and asked brother, should he talk to India’s Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and appeal to stop the attack and inform them that Pakistan is ready to stop. Faisal bin Salman also said that I came to know that you have spoken to US Defense Minister Marco Rubio. Ishaq Dar said that Faisal bin Salman called him 20-25 times and told that he had been talking to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

In an interview to Geo News, Ishaq Dar’s Halia statement clearly shows how the condition of Pakistani had worsened during Operation Sindoor. To help him, a Muslim country came forward before America and offered to normalize the situation. Apart from this, Ishaq Dar also said that his government had also appealed to America to stop the attack being carried out by India. Let me tell you that India had destroyed many of his airbase in response to the Pakistani attack after Operation Sindoor, in which several areas including Rawalpindi Airport targeted BrahMos missile. This has been revealed by Ishaq Dar himself.

Evidence found through satellite image
India targeted terrorist bases on Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir on the night of 7 May during Operation Sindoor. 100 terrorists were confirmed in the attack. In response to this attack, the Pakistani army started an attack from across the border in violation of the ceasefire. After this, accelerating the Indian Army attack, many airbase of Pakistan was targeted, in which the neighboring country suffered a lot of damage. Evidence of this was also given through satellite image.