PM Modi Said 'Some Pakistani Bases Still In ICU'. Here's What He Was Referring To

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent jibe in Parliament — “some Pak bases are still in ICU” — wasn’t rhetorical flourish. It was a direct reference to Pakistan’s Rahim Yar Khan airbase, which remains non-operational nearly three months after it was struck by the Indian Air Force (IAF) during precision strikes on Pakistani airbases and other military infrastructure as part of Operation Sindoor in early May.

Pakistan has issued four consecutive NOTAMs (Notices to Airmen) declaring the runway shut since 10 May , confirming that the airbase’s only runway is still “not available for flight operations due to work in progress.”

Each NOTAM was tracked by Damien Symon (@detresfa_), an open-source intelligence (OSINT) analyst affiliated with The Intel Lab.

Here’s the sequence of NOTAMs issued by Pakistan:

• May 10: Initial NOTAM closed the runway until May 17.

• June 4: Second NOTAM extended the closure until June 20.

• July 4: Third NOTAM extended it further till July 18.

• July 18: Fourth NOTAM now keeps the runway shut until August 5.

In total, Rahim Yar Khan, a key dual-use base in southern Punjab, has been offline for over 80 days. Despite initially claiming minor damage, Pakistan’s repeated NOTAMs point to the reality that the runway of one of its premier airbases was rendered unusable by Indian strikes and has not recovered since.

During Operation Sindoor, India struck over 10 Pakistani military installations using a mix of surface-launched ballistic missiles and BrahMos cruise missiles.

Among the targets was the Noor Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi, a highly sensitive military facility located just a few kilometres from both the Pakistan Army’s General Headquarters and the Strategic Plans Division, the body responsible for managing Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal.