Fact Check: Viral Claim That Pakistani Leader Fawad Chaudhry Fell Ill Due To Nuclear Radiation Leak Is False, Video Dates Back To 2023
The claim that former Pakistani minister Fawad Chaudhary fell ill due to a nuclear radiation leak in Pakistan is false. The viral video being circulated with this claim dates back to 2023, when Chaudhary, fearing re-arrest, rushed back into the Islamabad High Court premises. Additionally, the claim that India targeted any nuclear site in Pakistan during ‘Operation Sindoor’ is false. There is no official confirmation of any radiation leak in Pakistan.
- By: Abhishek Parashar
- Published: May 22, 2025 at 11:42 AM
New Delhi (Vishvas News): After the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, and India’s military action in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), a video of former Pakistani minister Fawad Chaudhary is being widely shared on social media, with claims that Chaudhary fell ill due to nuclear radiation and was hospitalised.
Vishvas News investigated the claim and found it to be false. The video of Fawad Chaudhry has no connection with ‘Operation Sindoor’. It dates back to 2023, when Chaudhry ran inside the Islamabad High Court premises to evade arrest and was assisted by the lawyers.
During ‘Operation Sindoor’, India did not target any of Pakistan’s nuclear facilities, based on which social media users are claiming that nuclear radiation has spread in Pakistan. No official report confirms the leak of nuclear radiation in Pakistan, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has also denied the claim of any radiation leak in Pakistan.
What is viral?
Facebook user ‘Kuldeep Mishra Fan Club‘ (Archive) shared the viral video with the caption, “Former Information Minister Fawad Chaudhary admitted to hospital after being exposed to radiation…. A very disastrous event is happening in Pakistan right now.”
Many other users across different social media platforms have also shared this video with similar claims.
Investigation
In the viral video, several people can be seen supporting a distressed Fawad Chaudhry. A reverse image search of the key frames from the viral video led us to the original video, uploaded on the official YouTube channel of Pakistan’s Dawn News.
Since Dawn News’ YouTube channel is blocked in India, we accessed it using the Express VPN tool. The Urdu caption accompanying the video bulletin, dated May 16, 2023, stated, (translated) “The police tried to arrest Fawad Chaudhry again, he ran towards the court premises.”
Based on this lead, we found many news reports referencing the same incident in the same context.
The image featured in the Hindustan Times report dated May 16, 2023, is a still from the viral video.
Our investigation confirms that the video of Chaudhary is neither from after ‘Operation Sindoor’ nor does it depict him falling ill due to nuclear radiation.
To verify the claim, we contacted Sufyan Sultan, co-founder of Pakistan’s fact-checking organisation Soch. He confirmed, “This is an old video when Fawad Chaudhary of Imran Khan’s party felt that the police was coming to arrest him again and then he ran towards the High Court premises to escape.”
According to a report by Jagran.com, “Fawad was arrested last week. Senior PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry is close to former PM Imran Khan. As soon as the Islamabad High Court ordered Fawad’s release on Tuesday, he came out of the court premises and got into his white SUV. However, he panicked after seeing the police outside the court and quickly opened the car door and sat inside.”
It is noteworthy that after ‘Operation Sindoor’, several claims have emerged in Pakistan alleging a nuclear radiation leak. However, these claims have been denied by the Pakistan government.
During a press conference on May 12, by the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) regarding ‘Operation Sindoor’, Air Marshal AK Bharti addressed a question about India allegedly targeting Pakistan’s nuclear facilities. He said, “Thank you for telling us that Pakistan has some nuclear facilities in Kirana Hills. We were not aware of this. (But) we did not target Kirana Hills, whatever is there.”
According to a report by the Indian Express, the IAEA has confirmed that there has been no ‘radiation leak’ from any of Pakistan’s nuclear facilities following the recent conflict between India and Pakistan..
The Facebook user who shared the viral video with the false claim has around 8000 followers.
Conclusion: The claim that former Pakistani minister Fawad Chaudhary fell ill due to a nuclear radiation leak in Pakistan is false. The viral video being circulated with this claim dates back to 2023, when Chaudhary, fearing re-arrest, rushed back into the Islamabad High Court premises. Additionally, the claim that India targeted any nuclear site in Pakistan during ‘Operation Sindoor’ is false. There is no official confirmation of any radiation leak in Pakistan.
- Claim Review : Pakistan's Former Information Minister Fawad Chaudhary admitted to hospital after being exposed to radiation
- Claimed By : Facebook user 'Kuldeep Mishra Fan Club'
- Fact Check : False
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