'When India fired BrahMos at Nur Khan...': Rana Sanaullah says Pakistan had only 30 seconds to decide if it was nuclear

A top Pakistani official admitted that the attack by India's BrahMos missile on Pakistan's strategic Nur Khan airbase rattled Islamabad. Rana Sanauallah, special assistant to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, recently claimed that the Nur Khan airbase was hit.

He added that Islamabad was in panic mode, not knowing whether the missile was armed with an atomic payload or not.

"When India fired BrahMos (Harmus) and it struck our Nur Khan airbase. The Pakistani government had just 30-45 seconds to analyse whether the missile had any atomic payload. To make such a decision in just 30 seconds is a dangerous thing," Sanaullah said in an interview to senior Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir.

Shehbaz Sharif's top advisor and the senior PML(N) leader then resorted to fearmongering that India's strike at Nur Khan could've led to a misunderstanding that it was a nuclear attack on Pakistan.

Sanauallah, who has also worked with Shehbaz's brother and former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif, said: "I am not saying that India was right in not sending a nuclear payload. But it could have created a misunderstanding, leading to catastrophic nuclear war. You cannot imagine the destruction that could have followed." 

He further credited US President Donald Trump for stopping the conflict between the two countries, a claim that India has thoroughly and continuously rejected. India has repeatedly stated on multiple occasions that it was the Pakistani DGMO who reached out to his Indian counterpart after the hostilities between the two nations hit their peak on May 10. 

"US President Donald Trump played a role in such a situation and saved the whole world from such a disaster. There is a need for an independent evaluation of his (Trump's) role. And it needs to be appreciated. The Pakistan government has praised this act," the senior Pakistani politician stated. 

As per satellite images shared by the Indian Armed Forces, Pakistan's Nur Khan airbase sustained significant damage after India's Operation Sindoor. The strikes substantially damaged the airbase's infrastructure, including hangars, runways, and radar sites. 

The operations of VIP transport fleets, drones (including the Turkish Bayraktar TB2), and surveillance aircraft were disrupted due to India's strike.