Pakistan’s Kirana Hills: After India carried out strong air strikes deep inside Pakistan, many people on social media started saying that India may have hit a very important place called Kirana Hills. This area is in Pakistan’s Punjab province, and people believe it might have secret underground tunnels where Pakistan hides parts of its nuclear weapons.
Kirana Hills is a serious military area under Pakistan’s Ministry of Defence. It’s close to the Sargodha airbase only about 20 kilometers away and around 75 kilometers from the Khushab nuclear site. That area is very important because Khushab has big reactors that make dangerous material for nuclear weapons. A report from February 2025 by the World Nuclear Association said Khushab has four heavy water reactors that produce weapons-grade plutonium.
Pakistan has built at least 10 strong tunnels in the Kirana Hills area. Their Special Works Development unit, which handles secret military construction, made these tunnels. They used very strong materials like reinforced cement concrete (RCC) with thick walls to help the tunnels survive powerful blasts. They also used special iron rods, called thermo-mechanically treated rods, to make them even tougher and harder to destroy in an attack.
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But even with all these safety features, experts say modern air forces now have bombs that can go deep into the ground. These bombs can still hit underground sites like these tunnels.
Kirana Hills remains one of Pakistan’s most protected places. It covers a large area, nearly 68 square kilometers, with a 39-kilometer boundary. The security there is tight, with several layers of defense. But experts warn that modern air forces, like India’s, have the power to destroy even underground bunkers if needed, reports India Today.
Retired Colonel Vinayak Bhat said in 2017 that Kirana Hills has at least 10 strong tunnels built by Pakistan’s Special Works Development team. These tunnels are made with reinforced cement and thick iron rods so they don’t break easily, even if they’re hit hard. Still, modern bombs that can go deep underground could damage even these strong tunnels.
Air Force Denies Hitting Kirana Hills
As people kept talking online about a possible hit on Kirana Hills, Air Marshal AK Bharti, who leads India’s Air Operations, made things clear in a press meeting. When someone asked him if India hit that area, he smiled and gave a sarcastic reply: “Thank you for telling us that Kirana Hills houses some nuclear installations. We did not know about it.” Then he added in a serious tone, “We have not hit Kirana Hills, whatever is there” reports Republicworld.
Even though people guessed that India might have hit near nuclear sites, the Indian Air Force said they were very careful. They only aimed at places that were being used by terrorists and military forces not civilian areas or nuclear zones.
But Pakistan responded differently. It used mortars, missiles, and drones to target both Indian military and civilian areas. This made things more tense between the two countries.
On May 7, India launched air strikes under the name “Operation Sindoor.” This was done as a reply to a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, where 26 Indian people were killed. Indian fighter planes used high-accuracy air weapons to target 11 places inside Pakistan.
These strikes were not just in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, but also in the heart of Pakistan. The Indian Air Force targeted places like Rafiqui, Murid, Nur Khan, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, Chunian, Pasrur, and Sialkot. These were not random hits each location was picked for its link to military activity.
One strike stood out the most. It was at the Nur Khan airbase in Chaklala, near Rawalpindi, which is a key spot for Pakistan’s military. This base is very close to where Pakistan handles its nuclear command system, the Strategic Plans Division. Nur Khan airbase also holds transport planes like the C-130 Hercules and IL-78, which are used for big military jobs.
A former US official, who knows about Pakistan’s nuclear setup, told The New York Times that Pakistan’s biggest fear is losing control over its nuclear system in a surprise attack. That’s why the Indian strike near Nur Khan airbase might have been seen as a message to Pakistan that India knows where their most sensitive sites are and that India can strike if needed. Some online satellite images even showed signs of damage at the Mushaf airbase in Sargodha. This airbase is also believed to be connected to the underground nuclear tunnels at Kirana Hills.
