Operation Sindoor: Social media buzzing with claims on Pakistan's alleged nuclear sites, after India struck its air force assets

Operation Sindoor aftermath: Are Pakistan's alleged nuclear sites damaged? Since the suspension of Operation Sindoor, India's military offensive to avenge the Pahalgam terror attack, social media has been abuzz with unsubstantiated, unverified information on Pakistan's nuclear facilities and alleged 'damage' to them. The posts, mostly conspiracy theories containing unverified and possibly fake 'reports' and 'documents', are giving rise to massive chatter about whether India damaged, or Pakistan destroyed, some nuclear installations in the wake of Operation Sindoor.

What is the Pakistani nuclear weapons capability, and where is the location?

Pakistan has around 170 nuclear weapons, as per the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies. Kirana Hills is rumoured to be the area that is partly hosting Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, but there's no proof to clearly substantiate this. 'Thank you for telling us': DGMO's quirky response on media telling Indian Army about Pakistan nuclear base in Kirana Hills Kirana Hills is a fortified defence area in Pakistan's Punjab province, where there was massive speculation that India had attacked. But asked about it at a military press conference on Monday (May 12), leaders of the Indian defence operations brushed it aside. The question posed was whether India targeted Kirana Hills during Operation Sindoor.

What are Kirana Hills, and why is the location in discussion after Operation Sindoor | WION Explains

In terms of nuclear energy, which is different from nuclear weapons capabilities, Pakistan has six reactors.

These operational reactors are located in Chashma and Karachi with four CNP300 reactors and two HPR1000 reactors, respectively. Pakistan is reportedly building a seventh reactor, the Chashma-5.

Nur Khan base and Sardogha base are in proximity to nuclear weapons facilities

According to various reports, the turning point in Operation Sindoor came when Pakistan realised that India could identify and strike its key military installations, and potentially even its nuclear facilities.

Here is why the reported strikes on or near Nur Khan and Sargodha bases by India are important.

The story of Indian strikes on Pakistan military's nerve center: Nur Khan Airbase

Nur Khan, also known asNaruhari Base,has defensive capabilities and is reportedly linked to Pakistan's nuclear programme, though it is not a nuclear facility in itself.

It is located near Pakistan’s Strategic Plans Division, which is in charge of its nuclear arsenal. 'Pakistan will be sleepless': PM Modi lauds Indian Army for raising pride of India to 'new heights' Nur Khan also hosts the Pakistan Air Force College and Fazaia Inter Collegeand surrounds the civilian airport, Benazir Bhutto International Airport. It is worth recollecting here that Pakistan had allegedly kept the civilian airspace open deliberately, even as India was engaged in air offensive as part of Operation Sindoor. The Sargodha Garrison is a large complex in and around Kirana Hills.A likely target of India's Operation Sindoor, Sargodha has a nuclear test site, reportedly used by Pakistan to advance its nuclear programme between 1983 and 1990.

So, what's the internet saying about Pakistan's nuclear facilities?

Several posts are doing the rounds, some of them already debunked. One post claimed: "Radiation leak confirmed in Pakistan. Locals are suffering from vomiting, headaches, and nausea. Official admitted the leak — but military is silent." Another post claimed without evidence that the Pakistani military "is forcing people to leave immediately, saying leave or die, due to radiation."

Meanwhile, fact-check websites have found that a ‘confidential’ letter on radiation leak in Pakistan, attributed to its Ministry on Climate Change, is fake. There was even a post claiming that the "US Dept of Energy aircraft equipped to detect radiation landed at Pakistan’s Nur Khan Base after it was hit by Indian Air Force."

"US experts in Rawalpindi to assess nuclear damage,radiation reportedly detected at the site," it claimed.

None of these posts has been proven to be true.