Kirana Hills: A Nuclear Site or Not?

There has been no official confirmation on if Kirana Hills serves as a storehouse for Pakistan's nuclear assets or not.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

From the afternoon of May 11, social media began circulating a narrative that ultimately may turn out to be false, alleging that India, through its Air Force, had struck Kirana Hills, which supposedly houses Pakistan's nuclear assets.

The Indian Air Force officially denied this rumour the following day, but by then, the fake news had already spread, amplified by news channels and WhatsApp groups, painting a picture of India's military prowess. The narrative suggested that this was one of the reasons Pakistan had reportedly requested India to stop its military actions.

Despite the Indian Air Force's denial, the report continued to circulate until the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the nuclear watchdog, confirmed to journalists, including The Sunday Guardian, that there had been no radiation leak or release from any nuclear facility in Pakistan. This confirmation was "based on information available to the IAEA." In fact, satellite imagery did not corroborate any damage to Pakistan's nuclear infrastructure.