Former CDS Anil Chauhan Says Loitering Munition May Have Inadvertently Hit Pakistan Nuclear Hub

Former Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan stated on Tuesday that an Indian loitering munition may have accidentally struck the Kirana Hills area, where Pakistani nuclear facilities are located, during Operation Sindoor. Speaking at an event hosted by the Vivekananda International Foundation, Chauhan explained that several munitions were deployed near Sargodha to search for radars. Because these munitions have a limited lifetime of approximately two hours, one may have descended and hit the hills after failing to find a target. This follows previous denials from Air Marshal A.K. Bharti, who stated on May 12 of last year that India did not intentionally target the facility.

Operation Sindoor was a tri-service offensive launched on May 7, 2025, in response to a terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people. The operation targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, resulting in the deaths of over 100 terrorists. Chauhan attributed India's success to clear political direction and superior battlefield transparency enabled by better networking between the Army, Navy, and Air Force. He also noted that Pakistan's intelligence appeared poor, citing inaccurate Pakistani reports regarding the location of an Indian carrier battle group in the Arabian Sea.

Regarding the ceasefire, Chauhan disputed claims by U.S. President Donald Trump that Washington mediated the agreement. He stated the ceasefire was decided directly between the Directors General of Military Operations of India and Pakistan. Chauhan suggested that the ceasefire details likely leaked to the United States from the Pakistani side, as the U.S. tweeted the information before India could announce it. He further mentioned that while Pakistan attempted to use Chinese commercial satellite imagery to assess strikes, they were unable to hit targets.