Disaster Averted: Pakistan’s Nuclear-Capable Shaheen-III Missile Reportedly Crashes Near Nuclear Facility | VIDEO | World News

The last test of Pakistan’s Nuclear Shaheen-III ballistic missile on Tuesday, July 22, was claimed to have fell dangerously near a nuclear region in Dera Ghazi Khan, the target of the missile and the debris landing. The accident, which was close to civilian habits in the Dera Bugti region of Balochistan, revealed high -level questions about Pakistan’s military competence and led to security concerns among the locals.

After the unsuccessful test, the Pakistani army is said to have applied a harsh internet blackout to the hit areas, prevented media access and ordered citizens to stay inside.

Failed Test: What’s wrong?

On July 22, Pakistan made a test ignite of the Shaheen-III missile from the Rakhshani region of Dera Ghazi Khan. However, the missile is said to have collapsed in the matte area of the Dera Bugti Region in Balochistan. The point of effect was surprisingly close to human settlements, just 500 meters away. The missile wreck fell to Grapevine Ravine at Seharani Levy station and caused a big explosion.

Pakistani Punjabi army conducted a shaheen-III ballistic missile test on Tuesday, July 22, 2025 in the Republic of Balochistan. The locals reported that the missile was fired from Dera Ghazi Khan region, where Balochistan approached the civil settlement dangerously. pic.twitter.com/vf4o15pa77– Baba Banaras ™ (@realbababanaras) 23 July 2025

The explosion was so intense that it was said that the noise was heard 20-50 kilometers away and echoed in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa sections. Social media was full of panic videos of people working in fear. Some claimed that the missile hit Dera Ghazi Khan Nuclear Power Plant, while others believed that it could be a strike by an enemy drone.

The first reaction of the Pakistani army was to cut the internet services, to limit the media and to instruct residents to stay interior. DG Khan Commissioner Representative Mazhar Shirani tried to quit the incident and implied that it was probably a sonic explosion created by a fighter aircraft and subject to investigation.

Shaheen-III: Pakistan’s nuclear deterrer

Shaheen-III is the most powerful missile of Pakistan. Theoretically, a ballistic missile from a 2,750 -kilometer surface to the surface that can reach lock Indian cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Pakistan sees this as an important component of the defense strategy as a precaution against India’s military power. Nevertheless, a number of consecutive test failures are asking more and more questions about operational preparation.

Dera Ghazi Khan: A critical nuclear center

Dera Ghazi Khan is also the location of Pakistan’s largest nuclear complex, a critical facility for uranium storage and processing. In the early 1970s, the Pakistani Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) built a pilot facility with 10,000 pounds of processing uranium processes a day. This is the most important part of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program. If the missile really hit this complex, the results could have been disaster, although the authorities insisted that they were not damaged.

A History of Failure

This is not a one -time. Pakistan has a disturbing history of unsuccessful missile tests:

• October 2023 (Dera Ghazi Khan): It was reported that a previous Shaheen-III test also failed and caused an explosion close to Dera Ghazi Khan, who was heard 30-50 km away. The reports of a hit nuclear facility swung by the government as a sonic explosion.
• January 2021 (Dera Bugti): A Shaheen-III test went upside down, hit a settlement of the missile Dera Bugti, destroyed the houses and injured the inhabitants. The Baloch Republican Party condemned Belucistan as proof of Pakistani Military Test Area.
• 2020 (Babur-II missile): A Babur-II missile that can be thrown from land and sea hit Balochistan during a test.
• 2022 (Jamshoro): A mysterious missile fell into the Jamshoro of Sindh province, and some were assumed to have failed to retaliate against India’s Brahmos accident.

These consecutive failures emphasize technical problems that continue with Pakistan’s missile technology.

BALOCHistan’s assembly protest

Groups such as “the Republic of Belucistan” and the locals strongly protested against the last test. They claim this:

As a test area of Balochistan: The Pakistani army regularly takes missiles and nuclear tests in Balochistan. They talk about the 1998 nuclear tests in Chagai, even now they say that there are widespread cancer and skin diseases.

Forced evacuation: The people of Baloch are forced to evacuate their homes before the tests, as it is alleged that the people of Baloch are used in places such as Dera Bugti and Cahan and that they are possible to remove resources (gas, minerals).

Safety Lack: Civilians are not informed about missile tests and their lives are seriously in danger.

Baloch Republican Party spokesman Sher Mohammad Bugti said Pakistan used Balochistan as a “weapon laboratory” and called on the United Nations and Human Rights groups to investigate.

Pakistan’s nuclear ambitions

Pakistan is one of the nine nuclear armed countries in 2025, a total of 170 war titles and nine nuclear armed countries up to 200 until 2026. Pakistan’s “minimum reliable deterrent” doctrine proposes a implicit first use strategy towards neighboring countries such as India. The Shaheen series, which has 1,250 to 2,750 km ranges, was developed to neutralize Shaheen-III India’s AGNI-III, which is very important for the doctrine. It is assumed that Pakistan’s missiles and nuclear programs are widely designed with Chinese support. Established in 1970, Dera Ghazi Khan Facility produces 360 grams of plutonium annually. It is an important element of the nuclear program.

International Results and Unanswered Questions

India protected the official mother about the incident, but the incident is following the Indian-Pakistan tensions, which are retaliation on the expensive terrorist attack against Pakistani air bases after India’s “Sindoor Operation” in May 2025. Dera Ghazi Khan created internal debates in India, and some interpreted it as an indication of Pakistani military security deficits.

Concerns of the United States are also remarkable. After the October 2023 explosion, a US nuclear Sniffer plane near Dera Ghazi Khan was observed and a nuclear mishap speculation was reported to be fed. While the US is officially silent, it closely monitors Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. BALOCH organizations called on the UN and the UN Security Council for imposing sanctions on Pakistan’s missiles and nuclear programs.

Pakistan officials rejected any terrorist strike and said the DG Khan commissioner said the explosion was probably a sound burst and did not report damage or loss. But many questions to be answered: How did the missile debris reach Dera Bugti? Why did the army apply an internet and media embargo? Wasn’t the nuclear plant really damaged? The Pakistan Interior Ministry has been silent so far.

For India, consecutive failures of Pakistani missile tests may mean a decrease in military reliability. Nevertheless, an accident with a nuclear facility like Dera Ghazi Khan would be a critical threat to exceed the boundaries. In addition, the increase in Baloch anger against Pakistan, which is probably catalyzed by such an event, can destabilize a border region near the Indian-Pakistan border and affect bilateral relations.