Grocery Hills: Pakistan’s Gupta Nuclear Center after India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’ under investigation
Kiran Hills, located in Punjab province of Pakistan near Sargodha city, made headlines in the last few days due to India’s military operation, “Operation Sindor”. India launched “Operation Sindoor” as a Paback for Pahalgam terror attacks. During the OP vermilion, the Indian Air Force (IAF) launched accurate airstrikes targeting nine Pakistani airbases, including Mushef Airbase in Sargodha and Noor Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi, as well as radar site. Allegedly incorporating Brahmin missiles, the strike caused significant damage to Pakistan’s military infrastructure, claiming that 20% of the Pakistan Air Force’s assistant infrastructure was destroyed.Kiran Hills has been linked to Pakistan’s nuclear ambitions since the 1980s, a period when the country was actively developing its nuclear capabilities in response to regional security dynamics, especially India’s nuclear progress. Between 1983 and 1990, Pakistan held a series of “cold tests” or sub -quantity nuclear tests in Kiran Hills. These tests, which simulate nuclear explosions without triggering a fragmentation response, were important for Pakistan to refine their nuclear warhead designs without the need of large underground testing sites.Bulletin of atomic scientists recognized in a 2023 report, recognized Kiran Hills as a sub -test site, keeping in mind its use in developing Pakistan’s nuclear program during this period.The importance of the site is further enhanced by Pakistan’s strategic nuclear weapons, such as the Naser missile, designed for the use of the battlefield.
The proximity of the Mushf Airbase for Kirana Hills, in association with irrelevant social media footage, shows smoke billing from hills and satellite imagery, indicating damage to Sargodha, making widespread speculation that India had targeted the grocery hills, possibly damaging a nuclear storage facility. Rumors of a “nuclear leakage” or “radioactive leak” received fuel from the rejected claims of the US B350 AMS nuclear security aircraft flying in Pakistan to assess radioactive activity.Some social media posts also linked recent earthquakes in Pakistan with alleged nuclear incidents in Kiran Hills, although no earthquake data supports these claims.
The Government of India and IAF have clearly refused to target Kiran Hills. Air Marshal Ak Bharti, Director General of Air Operations, said during a press briefing on May 12, “We have not killed Kiran Hills, whatever,” adding to us to tell us sarcastically, “we did not know about it.” Foreign Ministry spokesman, Randhir Jaiswal also dismissed questions about nuclear leakage, suggesting that it was to address Pakistan.These denials stressed that India’s targets were terrorists infrastructure and military property, not nuclear facilities, stressing speculation and preventing growth.
Despite the official denial, the proximity of the strike with Kiran Hills and the destruction of the nearby airbase were explained as a strategic message by some analysts. By targeting sites close to Pakistan’s nuclear infrastructure, India may indicate its ability to attack sensitive places to avoid direct hits on nuclear facilities to prevent magnitude. Tom Cooper, the historian of the war, now spoke on the Times, suggesting that the IAF’s ability to attack Pakistani bases for aerial rescue of Pakistan highlighted the failure of Pakistan’s deviation strategy.
