Did India strike Pakistan's nuclear facility during Op Sindoor? Military analyst Tom Cooper raises possibility (WATCH)

Military analyst Tom Cooper raises alarms over Pakistan's nuclear security following India's Operation Sindoor and suspected strikes near nuclear sites.

Military and strategic analyst Tom Cooper has raised serious concerns about the security of Pakistan's nuclear infrastructure, suggesting that recent developments reinforce long-standing doubts about the country's ability to manage its arsenal. His remarks come amid speculation following India's Operation Sindoor and reports of strikes near suspected Pakistani nuclear facilities.

"India has a perfect picture of what is going on there. The fighting ended actually after India hit two entrances to one of Pakistan's underground facilities, suspected or assumed to be a nuclear facility," said Cooper, responding to questions about whether nuclear sites had been damaged, despite Indian officials denying such targets were struck.

He pointed to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's recent comments questioning Pakistan's nuclear command and safety protocols.

"He (Defence Minister Rajnath Singh) now says that Pakistan's ability to handle nuclear weapons is questionable. This is not new. We have heard such concerns issued even by nuclear scientists, and not just a few of them, but 20 or even more. It is just a confirmation that the situation has not improved in this regard, on one side," Cooper said.

He added that India's intelligence and strategic capabilities continue to monitor Pakistani military movements closely. "It is also a confirmation for the dominance or freedom of operation of Indian armed forces well inside Pakistan," he stated.

On Thursday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressed the brave Indian Army soldiers at Badami Bagh Cantt, Srinagar and stated that, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has redefined India's policy against terrorism, which now says that any attack on Indian soil will be considered as an act of war.”

The Defence Minister emphasised that India has always prioritised peace and never supported war; however, when its sovereignty is attacked, it is necessary to respond. If Pakistan continues to support terrorism, it will pay a heavier price, he said.

When asked about the Pakistani PM Shahbaz Sharif and Army Chief General Asim Munir touring a military base to address the military personnel by climbing over a tank, Cooper added, “They, Shehbaz Sharif and Asim Munir, are the first to know the situation. They both know they have been defeated. They both know that rumours will not be sustained and the truth will soon reach the people.”

“This messaging is classic for Pakistan. Essentially, we have a situation of the country and its population, which has been indoctrinated to believe in Pakistani military superiority vis-à-vis India... They climb on top of the tank, as they must rebuild the morale and self-confidence of the nation,” he added.

Responding to Pakistan using Turkish and Chinese-made weapons against India and the support extended to Pakistan by the two countries, Cooper highlighted, “Turkish government is in a similar position to the Pakistani. At present, the Turkish government is a crazy Islamist in power who is misusing the religion for his purpose... Pakistan has been bankrupt for decades, always kept alive by some sponsor, from Saudi Arabia, then China, then Qatar... All this weaponry - US radar, Turkish command centres, Chinese fighter jets, Chinese missiles, indigenous jets and missiles. All this has to be integrated into one operational system, where a single node can control all the operations and is better coordinated. However, there are more indications that this was a weak spot in the Pakistan Army forces. The US radar is incompatible with their Chinese weapons... Firstly, the integration and secondly, how people are operating, were trained, had an impact... Perhaps, HQ-9 and HQ-16 systems are much better than they performed in Pakistani service.”

Notably, Operation Sindoor was launched by the Indian Armed Forces in the early hours of May 7, targeting nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).

This operation was a retaliatory response to the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians, including one Nepali national, while several others were injured.

After the attack, Pakistan retaliated with cross-border shelling across the Line of Control and Jammu and Kashmir as well as attempted drone attacks along the border regions, following which India launched a coordinated attack and damaged radar infrastructure, communication centres and airfields across airbases in Pakistan.

On May 10, India and Pakistan reached an understanding on the cessation of hostilities.