IAEA says no report of radiation leak from any Pakistan facility

DEHRADUN: There was no radiation leak or release from any nuclear facility in Pakistan, said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Wednesday (IST), rejecting widespread reports that claimed Indian missiles struck Kirana Hills in Pakistan’s Sargodha during Operation Sindoor, triggering a radioactive incident.

The clarification followed social media speculation and foreign media theories suggesting a nuclear stockpile in Pakistan had been hit during the airstrikes. Fredrik Dahl from IAEA’s press department in an email response to TOI’s query stated, “We are aware of the reports. Based on information available to the IAEA, there was no radiation leak or release from any nuclear facility in Pakistan.”

The development came two days after Indian Air Force’s director general air operations, Air Marshal A K Bharti, denied that India had targeted Kirana Hills or any nuclear installation in Pakistan. When asked by the media, Bharti said, “Thank you for telling us that Kirana Hills houses nuclear installations. We didn’t know about it. We have not hit Kirana Hills and whatever is there.”

The ministry of external affairs also rejected reports of a radiation leak. Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, during a press briefing on Tuesday, said, “Our military action was entirely within the conventional domain. Some reports were suggesting that Pakistan’s National Command Authority would convene a meeting, but those were later denied. In fact, Pakistan’s govt representatives have officially denied this on record.”

IAEA’s statement sought to dispel speculation that a radiation leak led to the ceasefire between India and Pakistan. Some foreign experts on global media platforms had amplified the theories, claiming the reports were accurate. The rumours intensified after some flight tracking platforms allegedly spotted a US department of energy aircraft—used in nuclear emergencies like Fukushima—near Pakistan.

Another claim that an Egyptian military aircraft landed in Pakistan carrying boron, a chemical used to contain radioactive emissions, also circulated. Both these claims were unverified and dismissed by former military officials as baseless.