 "No radiation leak from Pak nuclear facility, says atomic energy watchdog")
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the global nuclear watchdog, denied reports claiming that there was a radiation leak from nuclear facilities in Pakistan, following the recent military conflict with India.
News agency PTI, citing an IAEA spokesperson, said, “Based on information available to the IAEA, there has been no radiation leak or release from any nuclear facility in Pakistan.”
The response came after several social media users claimed that the nuclear facilities in Pakistan were hit by the Indian armed forces during ‘Operation Sindoor’, a coordinated missile strike launched on May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
The claims of attacking Pakistan’s nuclear facility in Kirana Hills were previously denied by the Indian Air Force (IAF) Air Marshal A K Bharti, Director General of Air Operations, in a briefing on Monday.
The speculations were made after India’s missile strikes hit an airbase in Sargodha in Pakistan's Punjab province, following which reports surfaced that the base is linked to an underground nuclear storage facility in Kirana Hills.
What makes Kirana Hills so secretive?
Located near Sargodha in Pakistan’s Punjab province, Kirana Hills has long been associated with Pakistan’s nuclear ambition. It is considered to be Pakistan’s most secretive military zone. Since the 1980s, Pakistan has been developing its nuclear capabilities in response to the regional security dynamics, according to The Times of India report.
From 1983 to 1990, the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) was reportedly using Kirana Hills to conduct subcritical nuclear tests, which were kept confidential to avoid detection by international surveillance. The tests were crucial for Pakistan to improve its nuclear designs without the need for large sites.
India dismisses the possibility of nuclear war
Randhir Jaiswal, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, dismissed the speculations of a “nuclear war” made by US President Donald Trump. Jaiswal on Monday said, “The military action was entirely in the conventional domain. There were some reports that Pakistan’s National Command Authority will meet on 10 May. But this was later denied by them. Pakistan FM has himself denied the nuclear angle on record.” He further said, “As you know, India has a firm stance that it will not give in to nuclear blackmail or allow cross-border terrorism to be conducted invoking it. In conversations with various countries, we also cautioned that their subscribing to such scenarios could hurt them in their own region.”