"Had 30 Seconds to Decide”: Pakistan PM’s Aide on India’s BrahMos Strike Nearly Triggered Nuclear Crisis

"Had 30 Seconds to Decide”: Pakistan’s PM’s advisor Rana Sanaullah has revealed that Pakistan’s military had only 30 to 45 seconds to decide if the BrahMos cruise missile fired by India during Operation Sindoor was carrying a nuclear warhead - a moment he called very close to a nuclear war.

The missile hit the Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi and could have led to a nuclear war if misunderstood.

India launched Operation Sindoor against Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack that killed 26 people, mostly civilians.

Speaking to a Pakistani news channel, the Pakistani PM's adviser said, "When India fired a BrahMos missile that hit our Nur Khan airbase, Pakistan's military had just 30 or 45 seconds to analyse if the cruise missile had a nuclear warhead. And to decide anything in those 30 seconds was such a dangerous situation."

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"I am not saying they did good by not using a nuclear warhead. But if people on this side misunderstood the situation, it could have led to an action from Pakistan or triggered one from India. Such a situation could have sparked a global nuclear war," Sanaullah added.

Nur Khan is a major airbase of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in Rawalpindi's Chaklala.

India hit multiple Pakistani airbases during Operation Sindoor, damaged runways, hangars, and buildings, and gave a big blow to Pakistan. Satellite images showed extensive damage in Sargodha, Nur Khan (Chaklala), Bholari, Jacobabad, Sukkur and Rahim Yar Khan.

India launched BrahMos cruise missiles on key Pakistani airbases, including Nur Khan, Sargodha, Shorkot, and Murid, on May 10 in response to terrorist attacks traced to extremist groups based in Pakistan-administered areas. Both land and air variants of BrahMos were used.

Earlier in June, Pakistan’s deputy PM Ishaq Dar had admitted that Islamabad had requested for ceasefire after two of their key airbases were hit by India.

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Dar was seen telling a news channel that Saudi Prince Faisal had called him after the attack on Pakistani airbases and asked if he could talk to Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar to convey that Islamabad was ready if India would stop the attacks. "I said yes, brother, you can. He then called me back, saying he had conveyed the same to Jaishankar," Dar added.

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar later confirmed the strikes had severely damaged multiple defence installations. Meanwhile, Sanaullah claimed, "There could have been an atomic war. In this situation, if US President Donald Trump played a role and saved the world from disaster, then that role must be independently evaluated, and that role must be appreciated. And that's why PM Shehbaz Sharif has nominated him (for the Nobel Peace Prize)."

Sanaullah credited former US President Donald Trump with brokering the ceasefire, but India has maintained that the truce was a result of direct military-to-military engagement, not outside mediators.

India has denied any third-party involvement and says it was Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) who first reached out to de-escalate the situation.

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