The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has dismissed reports and speculations of radiation leaks from any nuclear facilities in Pakistan during the recent military escalation with India.
The IAEA’s clarification came after the Indian Air Force said it did not target Pakistan’s Kirana Hills, which reportedly houses nuclear installations, The Indian Express reported, citing officials.
The statement came after social media speculation and international media theories that a nuclear stockpile in Pakistan had been targeted during the attacks by India under Operation Sindoor.
Speaking with The Indian Express on Tuesday, a spokesperson from the Vienna-based global nuclear watchdog said, “We are aware of the reports you are referring to. Based on information available to the IAEA, there has been no radiation leak or release from any nuclear facility in Pakistan.”
The statement came in response to a query about potential nuclear incidents or spills reported to the IAEA’s Incident and Emergency Centre.
The IAEA’s Incident and Emergency Centre, formed in 2005, serves as the focal point for international support in emergency preparedness and response to radiation incidents and emergencies.
In addition, Principal Deputy Spokesperson Thomas Pigott was also asked about the matter at a US State Department press briefing in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, May 13. Pigott was questioned whether the US had sent a team to Islamabad due to reports of nuclear radiation leaks in secure sites. He responded, “I have nothing to preview on that at this time.”
Earlier, Air Marshal A K Bharti stated that India did not hit Kirana Hills, saying, “Thank you for telling us that Kirana Hills houses some nuclear installations. We did not know about it. We have not hit Kirana Hills. I did not brief in my briefing yesterday.”
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also rejected US President Donald Trump’s claims of having averted a nuclear conflict between the two nations.
He emphasised that India’s military action was in the conventional domain and denied speculation about nuclear war, citing Pakistan’s denial of the nuclear angle.
“The military action was entirely in the conventional domain. There were some reports that Pakistan’s National Command Authority will meet on May 10. But this was later denied by them. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister has himself denied the nuclear angle on record,” Jaiswal 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.”
India’s Operation sindoor target the mushaf air base in sargodha, Near Creana Hills, A Strategic Location Used by Pakistan for its F-16 Fighter jets.
During a media briefing in Rawalpindi on May 10, Director-General of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt-Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry admitted that India carried out airstrikes on three Pakistan Air Force (PAF) bases, including Nur Khan, Murid and Shorkot.
On May 7, India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’, hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
