Goa, June 20 -- In a rare public admission, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has confirmed that Islamabad sought an urgent ceasefire in the wake of Operation Sindoor-India's forceful military retaliation to the April 22, 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 tourists in Jammu & Kashmir.

Speaking in a televised interview, Dar revealed that Pakistan was compelled to seek international mediation after Indian air strikes targeted two of its most strategic airbases-Nur Khan in Rawalpindi and Shorkot (PAF Base Rafiqui) in Punjab-on the night of May 7-8. Both installations are critical to Pakistan's air command structure, with Nur Khan also serving as a base for VIP and strategic air operations.

The strikes trigg...