During the
Second World War, the
British Raj constructed an airfield near the small town of
Bholari for wartime emergencies. This airfield was inherited by the
Royal Pakistan Air Force after
independence of Pakistan in 1947. Even though for the next couple of decades, it remained unused and existed as a satellite base, the PAF valued its strategic location as it believed it would enhance its operational capabilities in supporting the wartime operations of the
Pakistan Armed Forces in southern regions both on land and sea. Accordingly,
Air Headquarters (AHQ) conceived the idea of transforming Bholari into a
Main Operating Base for fighter squadrons in November 1979. However, the lack of funding prevented the plan from materializing.
2025 Indian missile strike In May 2025, during the
2025 India–Pakistan conflict, satellite imagery published by
The New York Times and
The Washington Post showed damage to a hangar at the Bholari airbase. Independent analysis of the imagery indicated a large hole in the hangar roof and debris scattered around the structure, consistent with a missile impact. According to
ISPR, five
PAF personnel, including a squadron leader and a chief technician, were killed at the base during the strike. The damaged hangar at Bholari is typically used to house airborne electronic warfare and jamming aircraft. The strike damaged a
Saab 2000 Erieye AEW&C airborne early warning aircraft of the
No. 53 Squadron PAF. India further claimed that its strikes on Bholari had destroyed several Pakistani aircraft, including F-16s and JF-17s and Indian officials released satellite imagery as supporting evidence for these claims. Belated repair works were underway at the base in early 2026 with the stricken hanger under reconstruction as revealed by OSINT sources. == See also ==