Pakistan President Reveals He Was Advised to Take Shelter During India’s Operation Sindoor

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari revealed on December 27, 2025, during an event commemorating the death anniversary of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, that his Military Secretary urgently advised him to seek immediate shelter in a bunker amid the escalating tensions of India's Operation Sindoor in May, underscoring the profound alarm and perceived threat triggered by the precision strikes deep into Pakistani territory.

Zardari recounted the dramatic episode, stating he had anticipated conflict four days prior but defiantly refused the bunker recommendation, asserting that true leaders embrace potential martyrdom on the battlefield rather than in concealment, a remark that highlights the intensity of the four-day military confrontation while portraying personal resolve.

Operation Sindoor, initiated by India on the night of May 6-7, 2025, comprised targeted missile and air strikes on nine terror infrastructure sites linked to groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, launched in direct retaliation for the brutal April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 civilian lives, mostly Hindu tourists selectively targeted in Baisaran Valley.

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The operation escalated with Pakistani retaliatory drone and missile incursions, including over 80 drones in one reported wave, prompting Indian countermeasures that reportedly downed several Pakistani aircraft—including five fighter jets and an airborne early warning system—and damaged key installations like Nur Khan Air Base, as later acknowledged by Pakistani officials including Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

Zardari's candid disclosure, coupled with admissions from Pakistani leadership about intercepted drones, base damage, and personnel injuries, contrasts sharply with Islamabad's initial efforts to downplay the strikes' impact, revealing the significant strategic and psychological toll of India's calibrated response that established new precedents in counter-terrorism without full-scale war, culminating in a ceasefire on May 10.

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