India questions safety of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal; IAEA denies radiation leak

Srinagar, May 15: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on Thursday, raised concerns over the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal and called for international oversight.

During visit to Jammu and Kashmir, his first since Operation Sindoor, Singh urged the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to bring Pakistan’s nuclear weapons under its monitoring framework.

"I want to raise question before whole world - are nuclear weapons safe in hands of Pakistan, a rogue and irresponsible nation," he said.

The Defence Minister is on a visit to Jammu and Kashmir to take stock of the overall security situation, especially along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border.

Meanwhile, Global nuclear watchdog IAEA has said there was no radiation leak or release from any nuclear facility in Pakistan during the country's recent military conflict with India.

"Based on information available to the IAEA, there has been no radiation leak or release from any nuclear facility in Pakistan," an IAEA spokesperson said.

Earlier, Air Marshal A K Bharti, Director General of Air Operations, had rejected suggestions that India hit Kirana Hills, home to Pakistan's nuclear installations. "We have not hit Kirana Hills, whatever is there," Air Marshal Bharti said at a media briefing on May 12.

India's strikes hit an airbase in Sargodha and there were some reports that the base is linked to an underground nuclear storage facility in Kirana Hills.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also rejected US President Donald Trump's claims of having “averted a nuclear conflict” between the two nations during a press briefing on May 13.

He said India's military action was in the conventional domain and denied speculation about a nuclear war.

-PTI