Did Pakistan Fire Nuclear-Capable Shaheen Ballistic Missile On India? (image-X/YusufDFI)

A few hours ago, there were multiple reports of Pakistan using a nuclear-capable Shaheen missile against India following Operation Sindoor. Major media houses carried the news, claiming the Indian Army had confirmed the missile launch and that the threat was neutralised by India’s S-400 missile defence system. However, merely hours later, the news was retracted.

The story, carried by major news outlets including NDTV and rapidly amplified on social media, suggested that the missile was launched during what was described as “arbitrary firing and shelling” by Pakistan. The timing of the incident was said to follow India’s covert operation dubbed Operation Sindoor, which targeted terror infrastructure across the Line of Control (LoC).

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“The Indian Army on Sunday confirmed the use of a nuclear-capable Shaheen missile by Pakistan against India during its arbitrary firing and shelling after Operation Sindoor. India, however, intercepted the missile with its S-400 missile defence system,” reported NDTV in a now-deleted news article.

Reports of Pakistan launching its Shaheen missile on India.

Within hours of the initial wave of coverage, the media houses retracted the reports. No official confirmation has since been issued by the Indian government or the Indian Army regarding the use or interception of a Shaheen missile. NDTV, among others, quietly took down its initial story without issuing a detailed clarification as of the time of publication of this copy.

Shiv Aroor, Managing Editor of NDTV, posted a video on his X handle stating that the Indian Army had posted a video a while ago suggesting that “Pakistan had used Shaheen ballistic missiles & Chinese A-100 & Fatah I/II MLRS, while India deployed its Smerch MLRS in rocket counter-assaults. Also possibly 1st official word on S-400 being used to intercept.”

Interesting—Indian Army video out a few hours ago suggests Pakistan used Shaheen ballistic missiles & Chinese A-100 & Fatah I/II MLRS, while India deployed its Smerch MLRS in rocket counter-assaults. Also possibly 1st official word on S-400 being used to intercept. pic.twitter.com/8kEgbN9xFY

— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) May 18, 2025

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Pakistan’s military has made no public statement regarding the alleged missile launch, and neither country has confirmed any direct missile exchanges in the recent skirmishes yet.

Pakistan’s Shaheen-3 is its longest-range ballistic missile, with a reach of 2,750 km-enough to target all of India, including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Designed for rapid launch and survivability, the solid-fuel, road-mobile missile can carry nuclear or conventional warheads. Its speed (up to 18 times the speed of sound) and mobility make it a credible deterrent, complicating interception efforts.