Pakistanis start revealing 'effects of nuclear radiation' after Indian media's claims

Some Indian social media users, including journalists and media personnel, bizarrely claimed that nuclear radiation is leaking in Pakistan after an Indian Air Force (IAF) strike on an alleged nuclear facility at Kirana Hills in Pakistan on Friday night. 

Always on the look out for content, Pakistani users went into hyperdrive with a barrage of memes to respond to the false news. 

A fake notification, popping up on Indian social media, says the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination in Pakistan  claimed that radiation is leaking on Sunday during the transfer of a sophisticated mechanism in the northern region of Pakistan.

In a joint press conference on Sunday, Indian Air Marshal AK Bharti dismissed the rumours of a strike at Kirana Hills, saying, “We have not hit whatever there is.”

Senior officials, Lt. Gen. Rajeev Ghai from the Indian Army and Vice Admiral A N Pramod from the Navy, were also present at the briefing.

Despite clarifications, some Indian netizens began sharing a Facebook post of Chrystal Flippo, calling her a “US radiation expert,” saying that smaller bomb explosions have caused nuclear radiation in the country.

An Indian X (formerly Twitter) named “Voice of Hindus” wrote in a post on X, “Big Breaking. Medical emergency in Pakistan: nuclear radiation is spreading.” 

Another Indian account went on to further claim, “Nuclear emergency declared in Islamabad/Federal, southern KPK including Kohat, Banu, Laki Marwat, Haripur, and northern areas of Punjab, Murree, Jehlum, Chakwal, Attock.”

Pakistani social media users took no time to react to the misinformation spread by some Indian netizens as they initiated a meme fest. A social media user shared a picture of former federal minister of Pakistan, Fawad Chaudhry, in a white lab coat. The caption of the post read, “The government of Pakistan appointed a scientist to deal with the nuclear radiation spread.” Fawad himself quoted the tweet with laughter. 

Another social media user, while sharing an old picture of former Pakistani cricketer Ramiz Raja with messy hair, wrote, “Ramiz Raja after nuclear radiation spread.”

Here are some of the widely circulating memes: