Fact Check: No, Pakistan government did not confirm radiation leak after Operation Sindoor

Hyderabad: While social media is teeming with speculations on radiation leakage in Pakistan following Operation Sindoor by India, a purported confidential letter claiming to show the Pakistan government confirming the leak in a safety bulletin is going viral on social media.

The subject of the viral confidential letter, dated May 13, reads “Radiological Safety Bulletin… Subject: Confirmation of Radiation Leak at Facility Located in Norther Region.”

According to the text, “The Government of Pakistan, through the National Radiological Safety Division (NRSD), confirms the detection of a radiation leak incident at a licensed industrialirological site, located in the Northern Administrative Zone. The event occurred on 11 May 2025” at approximatelly 24-55 hours, during toutine maintenance of radiological equipment used for non-destructive testing (NDT) purposes.(sic)”

It further adds, “Pollowing initial containment protocols, a Joint Emergency response leam from from Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) was deployed to assess, contain, and neutralize the radiation hazard…“For queries contact lirector - Radiological Response Unit Email nrsd@env.go.v.pk. (sic)”

The location of the supposed leak is stated as “Industrial NDT Unit, Near Chattar Plain, Northern Pakistan”. It is signed off by, “Engr. Malik Asad Rafique Director General, NRSD”

This viral confidential letter image was shared by an X user with the caption, “Govt of Pakistan confirms a radiation in Northern Pakistan. Reosen is Kirana hills. (sic)” (Archive)

Netizens are also sharing the screenshot of a Facebook post about radiation spreading in Pakistan, claiming that it was confirmed by a radiation specialist from North Carolina.

The news about the supposed radiation leak is being spread through a screenshot of a Facebook post by a user, Chrystal Flippo. The post reads, “Radiation is Spreading in Pakistan FROM SMALLER BOMBS. All water must come from underground sources. Do not drink radiated water as it will cause cancer. Only eat from can and packages sources, do not eat unpackaged vegetables. Radiation is like sand, do not touch it. If you do touch it the area must be scrubbed and scrubbed again.”

The Facebook post’s screenshot was shared on X with the caption, “As per Radiation Specialist Crystal, Flippo from Wilson, North Carolina.Radiation is spreading in Pakistan. All the Earthquakes we are seeing is from Atom Bombs they have to dispose. (sic)” (Archive)

Apart from the letter, images of alleged radiation victims have gone viral. A Facebook user shared two images of two patients being attended to at a hospital with the caption, “Breaking Pakistan Nuclear radiation emergency in Pakistan after precision strikes damaged key nuclear sites Kirana Hill.” (Archive)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the viral claim is false. The viral confidential letter is fabricated, and the person who made the Facebook post is not a radiation specialist.

Keyword searches did not yield any results about any radiation leak in Pakistan. Pakistani media has also not published news reports on the same.

Here’s a list of errors in the ‘viral confidential letter’ that raise questions about its credibility:

- We did not find the viral document on the Government of Pakistan, Ministry of Climate Control website.

- Moreover, the viral document is riddled with spelling, grammar mistakes and discrepancies in scientific terms. This raises questions about the credibility of the document.

- The department, National Radiological Safety Division (NRSD), does not exist in Pakistan. Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) is the statutory authority responsible for regulating all aspects of radiation and nuclear energy in the country.

- The document mentions the incident occurred at ‘24:55 hours’, which is not a valid time format.

- The email address ‘nrsd@env.gov.pk’ does not exist. We did not find any information on the alleged Director General of NRSD, Malik Asad Rafique.

We conclude that the viral confidential letter has been fabricated to spread misinformation.

What about the radiation specialist?

The viral screenshot of a Facebook post talking about radiation spreading in Pakistan was supposedly made from the account of a person named Chrystal Flippo.

We found the LinkedIn profile of Chrystal Flippos, which uses the same profile image as the Facebook account. From the LinkedIn profile, we found that Chrystal Flippo began her career as a programmer analyst and continues to work in the same industry. She is based in South Carolina, USA.

There are no entries on her LinkedIn profile about her experience working as a radiation specialist.

Do viral images show radiation victims in Pakistan?

NewsMeter found that the pictures do not show Pakistan citizens, affected by nuclear radiation, undergoing treatment.

Did India strike Kirana Hills?

We first checked if India conducted any military strikes on Kirana Hills, as mentioned in the claim.

Using keyword searches, we found a report published by Business Today on May 12 with the title “‘Didn’t know what is there, didn’t hit’: Air Marshal denies rumours of action at Pakistan’s Kirana Hills”.

According to the report, Air Marshal AK Bharti on May 12 spoke at a joint briefing by the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) and denied reports that the Indian Air Force struck the Kirana Hills in Pakistan’s Punjab province — an area long speculated to house elements of Islamabad’s nuclear arsenal.

“When asked if India hit Kirana Hills, Air Marshal AK Bharti said, “Thank you for telling us that Kirana Hills houses some nuclear installation, we did not know about it. We have not hit Kirana Hills, whatever is there. I didn’t mention it in my briefing yesterday or today,” added the report.

Is there a nuclear radiation leak in Kirana Hills?

A May 15 report published by The Indian Express with the title, ‘IAEA: No radiation leak or release from any nuclear facility in Pakistan’ stated that the nuclear watchdog, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has said that there is ‘no radiation leak’ in Pakistan.

“We are aware of the reports you are referring to. Based on information available to the IAEA, there has been no radiation leak or release from any nuclear facility in Pakistan,” stated The Indian Express, quoting an IAEA spokesperson. This confirmed that there is no radiation leak in Pakistan.

Where are the viral images from?

Now, to find the source of the images, we reverse-image searched them on the internet.

We found the first picture on the website of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) in a news release published on July 6, 2020. The release was titled, ‘AKHS launches Emergency Response Centre for COVID-19 Patients in Mastuj (Chitral).’

According to the release, it showed a patient receiving medical attention at a hospital.

From this, we understand that the first picture has been circulating about Covid-19 since at least 2020.

We found the second image uploaded in a report published by DW. The report was published on March 27, 2020, with the headline, ‘Misinformation about the coronavirus could cost people their lives!’

The image was attributed to ‘picture-alliance/AA/F. Bahrami’ and the report was about the Coronavirus.

Both images from the viral post have been circulating online since at least 2020. They do not show Pakistan citizens receiving medical care due to a nuclear radiation leak caused by India striking Kirana Hills.

Air Marshal AK Bharti has stated that Kirana Hills in Pakistan have not been targeted by India during Operation Sindoor. Nuclear Watchdog IAEA has also said that there is no nuclear radiation leak in Pakistan. Therefore, NewsMeter concludes that the viral claim is false.

Therefore, we conclude that the viral confidential letter is fabricated, and Chrystal Flippo is not a radiation specialist. The viral claims are false.