NEW DELHI: A special plane carrying a US peace delegation, led by US Vice President J.D. Vance, on Saturday landed at Pakistan’s Noor Khan Air Base at Chaklala in Rawalpindi for peace talks, the same airbase that was one of the main targets of Indian missile strikes as part of Operation Sindoor last May. The Iranian team led by Baqer Qalibaf and Abbas Araghchi also landed at the same air base.A Boeing C-32A (named Air Force Two) carrying VP Vance, escorted by Pakistani F16 aircraft, landed at Nur Khan Air Base at 10.29 am local time (0529 GMT). Two other planes carrying members of the American delegation and journalists also landed at the Nur Khan base. Vance was accompanied by US President’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Vance was received by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Army Commander Asim Munir at the air base.
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ON CAMERA: Pakistani F-16s accompany 2nd Air Force as Vance lands in Islamabad for nuclear talks with Iran
Nur Khan Air Base was chosen by the American delegation primarily for its proximity to Islamabad (25 km from the air base), maximum security, logistical efficiency and its role as a major center for military transportation and landing of VIP aircraft.The strategic air base, which houses the main assets of the Pakistan Air Force, was damaged when India conducted “high-impact air operations.” Although India did not reveal the missiles used in the attack, reports and sources subsequently confirmed the use of air-launched BrahMos and Scalp missiles.
Reports indicated that hangars, corridors and radar sites were damaged in the Indian attack. Satellite images showed last September that Pakistan had begun work on rebuilding the targeted air base.In early March this year, the Afghan Taliban claimed to have carried out a drone attack on the same air base.Noor Khan Base (formerly Chaklala Air Base) is of critical importance to Pakistan as the headquarters of the Air Mobility Command, handling major logistics, air refueling and VIP transportation. It supports strategic operations, hosts intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms, and provides vital support to the nearby military headquarters and Strategic Plans Division, which protects nuclear assets.
