Double Game Exposed! Pakistan’s Neutral Broker Image Shredded As Nur Khan Airbase Secretly Hosts Iranian Military Jets, Report Claims

Islamabad: Pakistan has been pushing hard to carefully craft an image as a neutral go-between in the Iran-US war, but the drama was knocked out after reports emerged that it quietly allowed Iranian military aircraft to use one of its most sensitive airbases. The shocking revelations, published by CBS News citing the US officials, painted a picture of a country playing both sides while claiming to be a stabilising force in the region. The report surfaced at a critical time, when US President Donald Trump is expected to land in Beijing on Wednesday for a high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. 

According to the foreign media report, multiple Iranian aircraft were moved to Nur Khan Airbase near Rawalpindi just days after Trump announced a ceasefire with Iran in early April. The base, located close to the capital and often used for VIP and military operations, is hardly a low-profile location to hide such activity. The analysts asserted that the move suggests that Islamabad was facilitating Tehran’s operations while simultaneously presenting itself to Washington as a diplomatic bridge.

The latest episode has left Pakistan exposed, with foreign experts stressing that it has once again prioritised short-term tactical gains over any credible claim to neutrality. At a time when Islamabad was pitching itself as a mediator, the decision to host Iranian military assets undermined that narrative and raised uncomfortable questions about its reliability as a partner globally.

Secret Aircraft Movements At Nur Khan Airbase

As per reports, the US officials, while talking to CBS News, stressed that the transfer of Iranian aircraft to Nur Khan occurred shortly after the ceasefire announcement. The timing is important, implying coordination that went well beyond routine civil aviation. Additionally, the base’s proximity to Rawalpindi, Pakistan’s military nerve centre, added to the awkwardness for a government insisting it was acting as an honest broker.

Moreover, the report also detailed a separate incident involving Mahan Air, an Iranian civilian carrier. An Afghan civil aviation officer stated that one of its aircraft landed in Kabul shortly before hostilities began and remained after Iranian airspace was closed. However, the Taliban authorities later moved the plane to Herat Airport near the Iranian border, following Pakistani airstrikes on Kabul during a flare-up with the Taliban-led government.

Though the Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid dismissed the claims outright. “No, that’s not true and Iran doesn’t need to do that,” he told CBS News, brushing off suggestions that Tehran was seeking refuge for its aircraft in Afghanistan.

Pakistan's Balancing Act That Failed

The report explained how Pakistan’s choreography is shaped by its deepening reliance on China. The data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) cited by CBS News showed that China supplied nearly 80% of Pakistan’s major arms imports between 2020 and 2024. Such dependence gives Beijing considerable leverage, explaining why Islamabad has been reluctant to take any step that might upset its northern neighbour.

The officials quoted in the report asserted that Pakistan tried to walk a tightrope, telling Washington that it was playing the role of a “stabilising intermediary” while avoiding anything that could provoke Tehran or Beijing. In practice, the strategy has left Islamabad looking duplicitous rather than diplomatic. The experts suggested that allowing Iranian military aircraft to park at Nur Khan while claiming neutrality is the kind of contradiction that does not survive scrutiny for long.

Credibility Exposed

The analysts emphasised that for a country that has long sought to position itself as indispensable to regional security, the exposure is damaging. The dual approach may have seemed clever behind closed doors, but once made public, it reads as a textbook case of duplicity. Hosting Iranian jets while lobbying Washington for trust does not inspire confidence on either side.

Furthermore, the incident also fed into a bigger perception that Pakistan’s foreign policy is driven more by opportunism than principle. Islamabad, rather than emerging as a credible mediator, now risks being seen as a player that hedges its bets and hopes no one notices.