Former Indian Army chief Ved Prakash Malik clarified on Wednesday that the explosion at Pakistan's Kirana Hills during Operation Sindoor was an inadvertent incident, not a deliberate military strike. Malik emphasized that the incident, caused by a loitering munition searching for radar sites near Sargodha, highlights the escalating risks of future conflicts.
Hi-Tech Weapons Pose New Escalation Challenges
Malik, who led the Indian Army during the 1999 Kargil War, explained that the munition was inadvertently searching for radar sites around Sargodha and could not have damaged any nuclear facility silos. He noted that while India likely possessed the capability to target such a facility, it chose not to, specifically to avoid escalation.
"Kirana Hills Strike during Op Sindoor: Explosion caused by loitering munition seeking radar sites around Sargodha was inadvertent, not deliberate. It could not have caused damage to nuclear facility silos. Did India have vectors of Kirana Hills nuclear facility? Most probably yes. But it was not targeted to avoid escalation," Malik posted.
Despite the unintentional nature, Malik acknowledged that the incident sent a clear message to Pakistan: India possesses the precision capability to target military or economic facilities anywhere within the country.
Accidental Incidents and Rapid Response Concerns
The former Army chief issued a stark warning about the potential for accidental incidents involving advanced weapons to trigger immediate retaliation. "Can such an accidental incident cause immediate retaliation/escalation? Yes. That cannot be ruled out," he stated. He concluded that managing escalation in future conflicts, especially with the increased use of high-tech loitering munitions and stand-off weapons, will become increasingly challenging.
Corroboration from Former CDS
Malik's comments align with statements made by former Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, who also confirmed that Indian forces did not deliberately target Kirana Hills. Speaking about Operation Sindoor, Chauhan explained that India had deployed numerous loitering munitions towards Sargodha. He suggested that one might have struck a hill after exhausting its flight capabilities, accounting for reports and images of smoke in Pakistani media.
Operation Sindoor was launched by India in May 2025 following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, targeting terror infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. During the conflict, Indian strikes also hit an airbase in Sargodha, reportedly linked to an underground nuclear storage facility in the Kirana Hills area.