Kirana Hills: Pakistan’s nuclear center no longer a secret from world due to…..

Nuclear capacity of Pakistan and Kirana hills has been in news since Operation Sindoor. Pakistan till date had kept Kirana Hills, located in Punjab province near the city of Sargodha, as one of its best secret. However, after Operation Sindoor, India has well exposed it.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) however had trashed social media rumours that it hit Pakistan’s Kirana Hills, which reportedly has a nuclear facility. “We have not hit Kirana hills, whatever is there,” Director General of Air Operations Air Marshal AK Bharti said at a media briefing on Operation Sindoor.

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. There was also report that there is a leakage of radiation. Some social media posts even linked recent earthquakes in Pakistan to alleged nuclear incidents at Kirana Hills, though no seismic data supports these claims.

By targeting sites close to Pakistan’s nuclear infrastructure, India may have signaled its capability to strike sensitive locations while avoiding direct hits on nuclear facilities to prevent catastrophic escalation.

Kirana Hills has been linked to Pakistan’s nuclear ambitions since the 1980s, a time when the country was preparing to respond to India’s nuclear advancements. Between 1983 and 1990, Pakistan conducted a series of “cold tests” or subcritical nuclear tests at Kirana Hills. The site’s significance is further amplified by its association with Pakistan’s tactical nuclear weapons, such as the Nasr missile, designed for battlefield use.

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