Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's close aide has revealed that the country's military had just 30 to 45 seconds to assess whether the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile launched by India during Operation Sindoor to target the Nur Khan airbase carried a nuclear warhead.
Rana Sanaullah, who is the special assistant to the Pakistani PM, was the former interior minister of the neighbouring country.
"When India fired BrahMos at Nur Khan airbase, Pakistan’s military had only seconds to determine if it was nuclear. That’s a dangerous situation," Sanaullah said, as per a video uploaded on the X account Pakistan Untold.
Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi's Chakala is a key Pakistan Air Force facility, which was among 11 military installations targeted by India during Operation Sindoor. Other bases struck by India include Sialkot, Murid, Sukkur, Pasrur, Sargodha, Chunian, Skardu, Jacobabad, Bholari and Rafiqui. India also destroyed terrorist launchpads, including the headquarters of Lashkar-e-Taiba in Muridke, the HQ of Jaish-e-Mohammed in Bahawalpur as well as terror targets in Chhakwal, Neelum Valley, Jhelum, Bhimber, Chakswari, Muzaffarabad, Rawalkot and Kotli.
Though the BrahMos missile did not carry a nuclear payload, the confusion created by the launch could have led to catastrophic consequences, the Pakistani politician said, hinting that the missile launch could have pushed Islamabad to the brink of nuclear war.
“I’m not saying India did good by not using a nuclear warhead. But such confusion could have sparked a global war," he warned.
He also reiterated Pakistan's official claim that US President Donald Trump mediated a ceasefire deal between the two countries, something that has been categorically refuted by India. "In this situation, if US President Donald Trump played a role and saved the world from disaster," he said, "There needs to be an independent evaluation of Trump’s role."
New Delhi has maintained that its strong response during Operation Sindoor forced Islamabad to seek a ceasefire with the Pakistani DGMO calling his Indian counterpart to end the 88-hour conflict in May.