Islamabad: Eyewitness accounts have shed fresh light on the dramatic night of May 9-10, 2025, when multiple Pakistani military installations and airports reportedly came under Indian attack during Operation Sindoor, one of the most dangerous military escalations between India and Pakistan in recent years.
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The strikes came amid a rapidly intensifying conflict that had begun days earlier following Indian missile attacks on locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir after the deadly Pahalgam attack.
According to accounts gathered by BBC Urdu, residents and individuals present near key military facilities described hearing massive explosions, seeing flames in the sky, and witnessing panic around major air bases, including Noor Khan Airbase, Bholari Air Base, and Rahim Yar Khan Airport.
The most intense scenes were reported around Noor Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi, located near the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. Witnesses said the explosions during the night of May 9 were so powerful that windows shook in residential areas across both cities.
Several residents recalled hearing repeated blasts followed by the sound of fighter jets and emergency sirens. Some said the explosions lit up parts of the night sky, triggering fear among civilians living near military zones.
Hours later, Pakistan military spokesperson Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry claimed India had attempted missile strikes on Noor Khan Airbase, Rafiqui Air Base and Mureed Air Base, but insisted that Pakistani air defence systems intercepted the missiles successfully and that all air force assets remained safe.
However, as dawn broke on May 10, reports of further Indian strikes emerged from Bholari Air Base in Sindh province and Rahim Yar Khan Airport in southern Punjab.
Witnesses near Bholari reportedly described heavy military movement and smoke rising from sections of the air base following the attack. In Rahim Yar Khan, residents said airport operations were disrupted after loud nighttime explosions and heightened security deployment.
The conflict marked a major escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, with both sides accusing each other of targeting military installations and air bases. India had claimed Pakistan attempted attacks on military bases in Jammu, Udhampur, and Pathankot, while Pakistan claimed to have shot down several Indian aircraft, including Rafale fighter jets.
Satellite Images: Months After India's Operation Sindoor, Pakistan Begins Reconstruction At Nur Khan Air BaseResponding later to questions regarding aircraft losses, Air Marshal AK Bharti of the Indian Air Force acknowledged that “losses are part of war,” while also claiming that India had downed Pakistani aircraft during the confrontation.
The nearly week-long conflict eventually de-escalated after diplomatic and military-level engagement, but eyewitness memories of the explosions and uncertainty from those nights continue to reflect the intensity of one of the region’s most serious military standoffs in recent history.