India, May 18 -- The news of Indian Air Force (IAF) missiles striking Pakistan Air Force (PAF) base Nur Khan with pinpoint accuracy during Operation Sindoor took me back to the morning of December 4, 1971. Serving with an IAF squadron, I had led a section of two fighter-bombers to strike the same target then known as PAF Base Chaklala. Located just a few miles northeast of the Pak army headquarters in Rawalpindi, it was a heavily defended base, but my wingman and I returned home safely, after attacking some transport aircraft on the ground.

Separated by 54 years, Operation Sindoor, launched by India on May 7, 2025, in response to a terror attack in Pahalgam, and the 1971 India-Pakistan War are completely distinct events with vastly dissi...