Nuclear leak, radiation, Boron, and a bunch of conspiracy theories began to float on social media as reports emerged that India, in its retaliatory strikes against Pakistan under Operation Sindoor, has reportedly hit the Kirana Hills in Pakistan. The Kirana Hills, which are close to the Sargodha Air Base, are said to be a nuclear storage facility. While India did hit the Sargodha Air Base, however, the Air Marshal AK Bharti categorically denied these claims, although his advertant or inadvertent smirk fanned further speculations.
Denying hitting any nuclear storage facility in the Kirana Hills, the Air Force officer said, “Thank you for telling us that Pakistan has stored its nuclear weapons at Kirana Hills, whatever is there. We have not hit Kirana Hills, whatever is there. I did not brief in my briefing yesterday.”
In a press briefing, the Pakistani DG ISPR Sharif Ahmed Chaudhary, also said that there is no truth in the claims that India has hit Pakistan’s nuclear establishment in Pakistan, although while saying this, he had an uncomfortable smile on his face.
Amidst all this, social media claims emerged that an Egyptian Air Force plane carrying a huge amount of Boron landed in Pakistan to test nuclear leaks or contain them. Social media posts also showed flight radar images to claim that a US Energy Department plane also arrived in Pakistan. However, no official confirmation is there about the same.
Notably, as per a Dawn newspaper report, one of the Indian drones did fall in the area of Kirana Hills. So far, people have mostly heard of Kahuta and Chagai in the context of Pakistan’s nuclear mission, but Kirana Hills is rather a new name.
As Kirana Hills and the speculation that it houses one of Pakistan’s nuclear storage facilities started making the rounds on social media, it has piqued global interest, especially among Indians and neutral defence analysts. So, what is the secret of Kirana Hills? Why is it important?
Kirana Hills: Home to Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal?
Kirana Hills, also known as the Black Mountains due to brownish terrain, is a range in the Punjab state of Pakistan. It is located in the Sargodha district of Pakistan. This hill range is about 80 kilometres long. Several research projects were undertaken on Kirana Hills during the British rule.
It is about 170 kilometres away from the Indian border. There is a forest around Kirana Hills, and it is said that wild animals are found here. Pakistan had also excavated here to search for uranium.
Pakistan’s Defence Ministry took over Kirana Hills around 1970. Kirana Hills is a part of Mushaf Airbase. Mushaf Airbase is an important military base of the Pakistani Air Force, and its aircraft, including F-16 and JF-17, are stationed here. There is also a radar station here.
Reports suggest that Kirana Hills were started to be used by Pakistan for its nuclear mission around 1978-79. Reports also suggest that Kirana Hills was used for experiments before carrying out a nuclear explosion.
As per a 2023 report by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the Kirana Hills is a subcritical nuclear test site used by Pakistan to develop its nuclear programme from 1983 to 1990. The report said that the Kirana Hills house munitions storage areas, TEL (Transporter Erector Launcher) garages, and at least 10 underground storage facilities.
Pakistan had carried out several experiments inthe Kirana Hills before developing its nuclear bomb. It has also been stated in some reports that Pakistan had hidden many things for making nuclear weapons, which were removed under US pressure.
Several reports suggest that, along with the place to store weapons, garages have also been built to park missile launchers. It is through these launchers that missiles carrying nuclear weapons are launched. These launchers are mounted on trucks. They can also be transported to different places. Pakistan has missiles like Shaheen and Ghauri that carry nuclear weapons.
Kirana Hills are reported to house more than 10 underground tunnels, which are purportedly used for the storage of nuclear warheads. These tunnels were constructed by Special Works Development (SWD), a military unit created to handle the field engineering work of nuclear sites.
