Shehbaz Sharif's big admission: 'India struck airbases with BrahMos before Pakistan's planned response'

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday admitted that the Indian military struck key targets inside Pakistan before his own armed forces could launch a planned retaliatory operation. Speaking in Azerbaijan, Sharif revealed that India launched BrahMos missile strikes targeting several provinces, including the Rawalpindi airport, in the early hours of May 10 — hours ahead of a Pakistani military response scheduled for after morning prayers.

"On the night of May 9-10, we decided to respond in a measured fashion to Indian aggression. Our armed forces were prepared to act at 4.30 in the morning after Fajr prayers to teach a lesson," Sharif said during a speech in Lachin, Azerbaijan. "But before that hour even arrived, India once again launched a missile attack using BrahMos, targeting various provinces of Pakistan, including the airport in Rawalpindi."

The statement comes weeks after heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours following Operation Sindoor. India had previously warned of a strong response following a terror attack in Pahalgam, which New Delhi claimed was directed from across the border.

Sharif's comments confirm that Pakistan's military, led by Army Chief Asim Munir — now promoted to Field Marshal — had planned to strike India early on May 10. However, India preempted that move by launching long-range, supersonic BrahMos cruise missiles at critical military installations before dawn.

The admission, made in one of the few countries publicly backing Pakistan on the global stage, underscores the scale and timing of India's precision strikes.