Statement attributed to Rana Sanaullah admitting that Pakistan pleaded US for ceasefire after Indian strike on Nur Khan Airbase

Rating Justification

The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan reviewed the complete interview of Rana Sanaullah.

Posts from Indian accounts on social media platform X since July 3, 2025, shared a video clip of Adviser to the Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah, claiming he said Pakistan pleaded with United States President Donald Trump for a ceasefire following Indian attacks on Nur Khan Airbase. However, Sanaullah said no such thing.

India launched a series of strikes under ‘Operation Sindoor’ in the early hours of May 7, targeting multiple locations across Pakistan. In response, Pakistan’s military downed five Indian jets and destroyed several Indian brigade headquarters and checkposts along the Line of Control. On May 10, India launched air-to-ground missile strikes on three Pakistani airbases, prompting Pakistan to retaliate with ‘Operation Bunyanum Marsoos’. A ceasefire, brokered through US mediation, took effect at 4:30pm the same day.

HOW IT STARTED

On July 3, 2025, an Indian account on X shared a video clip claiming that Sanaullah stated that Pakistan pleaded with US President Donald Trump for a ceasefire following Indian attacks on Pakistan’s military airbases.

The text in the video read: “When the Indian Brahmos missile hit our Nur Khan Airbase, we had no time to react. It was then the US President Trump intervened and we thanked him.”

The caption of the post read: “Pakistan begged Trump for a ceasefire after Indian Brahmos (Harmus) hit Nur Khan Airbase and Pak forces had no time to react — admission of Pakistan’s defeat by Sp Assistant to Pak PM Rana Sanaullah.”

The post was viewed over 352,000 times.

Indian media outlets, including Times of India and News18, also used the X post in their news reports, albeit without including its claim about Pakistan begging for a ceasefire.

Several other Indian accounts on X also shared the same post as can be seen here, here, here and here.

The same claim also circulated on Facebook here and here, and on Threads here.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and keen public interest in the India-Pakistan conflict.

To investigate the viral claim, the full interview of Rana Sanaullah on journalist Hamid Mir’s Geo News talk show ‘Capital Talk’, uploaded to YouTube on June 23, 2025, was reviewed.

Below is the transcription of his interview.

At the 4:14-minute mark, Mir asked whether Pakistan could still trust Trump, given recent developments. In response, Sanaullah said:

“There is no question of trust or betrayal. Every nation, every country acts in its own interest. And no one compromises on the interest of the country. God willing, Pakistan will never do that.”

He went on to refer to the incident involving India’s missile strike on Nur Khan Airbase, stating:

“The act that Donald Trump performed in the context of Pakistan and India was, in itself, a good act. When India launched the [Brahmos] missile and it hit Nur Khan Airbase, Pakistan’s leadership had only 30 to 45 seconds to determine whether the missile contained nuclear material or not … That narrow window to assess and respond shows how dangerous the situation was. I’m not saying it was a good thing that the missile wasn’t nuclear, but had there been a misunderstanding on either side and retaliation occurred, the world could have plunged into a nuclear war.”

Sanaullah emphasised that if Trump helped prevent such a catastrophe, his role should be recognised independently of any other actions, stating:

“If Donald Trump played a role in de-escalating that crisis, then that act should be evaluated on its own merit and appreciated accordingly.”

At no point during the interview did Sanaullah say or admit that Pakistan begged the US for a ceasefire or that there was no time to react. He merely said that the window to decide whether incoming missiles from India had nuclear payloads or not was a narrow one.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that PM aide Rana Sanaullah admitted to Pakistan begging and pleading the US for a ceasefire with India is false.

The government official said no such thing in his interview.

Evidence and References

June 23, 2025, ‘Capital Talk’ YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgjvEGf5hwE