NEW DELHI, May 14: Speculation is rife following last week’s four-day military confrontation, with numerous reports suggesting that India may have targeted Pakistan’s nuclear weapons storage sites.
Despite these claims, neither New Delhi nor Islamabad has officially confirmed such actions. On Monday, Air Marshal AK Bharti, Director General of Air Operations, addressed the matter, stating that India had not targeted Pakistan’s Kirana Hills – a site rumoured to host nuclear facilities.
Responding pointedly to a question during a press briefing, Bharti remarked, “Thank you for telling us that Kirana Hills houses some nuclear installations. We did not know about it. We have not hit Kirana Hills.”
Nevertheless, before-and-after satellite imagery indicates that Indian precision strikes inflicted visible damage on some Pakistani installations. At Bholari Air Base, located under 100 miles from Karachi, Indian defence officials have confirmed a targeted strike on an aircraft hangar and satellite visuals corroborate the damage.
Amid these developments, Austrian military historian and aerial warfare expert Tom Cooper told an Indian news channel that video footage serves as compelling evidence of Indian strikes on Pakistan’s nuclear facilities.
He said: “It’s relatively simple in military terms … Pakistan attempted to hit back at India with UAVs, with artillery missiles, even with ballistic missiles… this effort failed because Indian air defences shot down the mass of incoming weaponry. On the other hand we have seen early on May 10 the IAF striking not only PAF bases but also the entrance, both entrances, to the Pakistan nuclear weapons storage site at Mushaf air base… And the fact is, in the way the military understands warfare, when you start targeting enemy nuclear weapon storage sites, it means you are absolutely sure the enemy cannot hit back… And from this point of view, it’s a clear-cut victory for India.”
In another development, a document claiming that Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Aurangzeb Ahmed of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has been fired from service is circulating widely on social media in the neighbouring country. The letter alleges he was sacked for failing to safeguard the Kirana Hills nuclear facility, which allegedly led to a radiation leak.
The proximity of Mushaf airbase to Kirana Hills, coupled with unverified social media footage showing smoke billowing from the hills and satellite imagery indicating damage near Sargodha, sparked widespread speculation that India had targeted Kirana Hills, potentially damaging a nuclear storage facility.
Rumours of a “nuclear” or “radioactive leakage” gained traction, fueled by unverified claims of a US B350 AMS nuclear safety aircraft flying over Pakistan to assess radioactive activity. (Agencies)
