Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has publicly acknowledged that the country’s military was caught off guard during India’s BrahMos missile strike on the night of May 9–10, according to an India Today report.
Speaking in Azerbaijan, one of the few countries that has supported Pakistan diplomatically, Sharif revealed that Indian missiles targeted key military installations, including the high-security Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi.
According to Sharif, Pakistan had planned a retaliatory military action for the early hours of May 10.
Sharif added that he was informed about the strike by Army Chief Asim Munir, who was present at the event in Lachin and has since been promoted to Field Marshal.
This is the first time Sharif admitted Pakistan was caught off guard by India’s swift military response, targeting its critical miltary establishments.
His public admission came amid visible discomfort in the Pakistan’s government and the army.
The Indian attack was reportedly in retaliation to drone and missile strikes launched by Pakistan on civilian areas along India’s western border.
The missiles, built jointly by India and Russia, are designed to bypass enemy air defences and strike with high precision at targets up to 300 kilometres away.
Pakistan’s Chinese-origin air defence systems reportedly failed to intercept the missiles, which followed a ‘fire-and-forget’ trajectory.
