Amid claims on social media about a possible Indian strike on Pakistan’s nuclear installations during the recent military flare-up, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has stated that there has been no radiation leak or release from any nuclear facility in Pakistan.
The clarification from the global nuclear watchdog comes in the wake of widespread speculation online suggesting that Indian armed forces may have targeted Pakistan’s sensitive nuclear sites, including the Kirana Hills region, during the cross-border strikes code-named Operation Sindoor.
"Based on information available to the IAEA, there has been no radiation leak or release from any nuclear facility in Pakistan," an IAEA spokesperson told PTI, pushing back against the unverified narratives gaining traction online.
The Indian Air Force, too, has firmly denied any targeting of nuclear facilities. Addressing the media on May 12, Air Marshal AK Bharti, Director General of Air Operations, said, "We have not hit Kirana Hills, whatever is there," in response to pointed questions about the region that is believed to house a portion of Pakistan's nuclear infrastructure.
During Operation Sindoor, Indian strikes were reported to have hit an airbase in Sargodha. While some reports link this base to an underground nuclear storage facility in the nearby Kirana Hills, Indian officials have reiterated that the military action remained within the bounds of conventional warfare.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs also dismissed dramatic claims made by US President Donald Trump, who suggested that his intervention prevented a nuclear showdown between the two South Asian rivals. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said there was “no question of a nuclear conflict” and emphasised that India’s actions were strictly conventional in nature.