The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) targeted the highest number of Indian Air Force (IAF) airfields in a single mission since the 1971 war, Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmed said on Sunday.
In a media briefing, the Air Vice Marshal said that the PAF strikes were conducted with precision and deliberately avoided civilian infrastructure. He further said that the operation was a swift and calculated response to recent escalations, aimed at deterring further hostilities.
“The mission was executed on our terms, under clear instructions from the leadership,” Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb.
“India attempted to establish a ‘new normal’ through aggressive escalation. Pakistan’s swift and coordinated reply denied them that opportunity,” Aurangzeb Ahmed said, adding that Pakistan’s military radar and jamming systems also intercepted multiple Indian drones aimed at civilian areas.
Pakistan-India ceasefire
Pakistan and India agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire on Saturday following days of intense military exchanges that raised fears of a full-scale conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
The announcement was first made by US President Donald Trump and later confirmed by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The ceasefire came after missile strikes, drone incursions, and retaliatory operations across the border.
Tensions flared after a deadly April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), that left 26 civilians dead. India blamed Pakistan-based elements without providing evidence; Islamabad rejected the claim.
India responded by closing the Wagah border, revoking Pakistani visas, and suspending the Indus Waters Treaty—moves Pakistan labelled as an “act of war.”
By May 6–7, Pakistan launched Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos, claiming to have downed five Indian jets, including Rafales, and intercepted 77 Israeli-origin Harop drones.
The US played a central role in facilitating backchannel diplomacy. Secretary Rubio and Vice President JD Vance held talks with senior leaders from both countries, including PMs Shehbaz Sharif and Narendra Modi, as well as top defence and intelligence officials.
Following Trump’s announcement, both countries suspended military activity across land, air, and sea, though allegations of ceasefire breach were also reported from both sides of the Line of Control (LoC).
