Fact Check: Ladakh’s Twitter handle changed to Gilgit-Baltistan, Ladakh (U.T)?

Press Information Bureau (PIB) alerted users about the fake account and tagged two official handles of the Ladakh administration.    

Some Twitter users have now claimed that the Twitter name of Union Territory of Ladakh has been changed to Gilgit-Baltistan, Ladakh (U.T), but is it true?

The claim:

On May 12, Twitter users shared a screenshot of a page ‘Gilgit-Baltistan, Ladakh (U.T), India’, claiming it to be an official account of UT Ladakh. The page was supposedly created after an IMD announcement.

(Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said that it will issue weather bulletin for regions in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir – Gilgit-Baltistan and Muzaffarabad – asserting that they are parts of India)

PIB issued a clarification:

Issuing a clarification on the same, Press Information Bureau (PIB) alerted users about the fake account and tagged two official handles of the Ladakh administration.

The tweet reads, ”Claim: A twitter handle @GB_Ladakh_India claims to be the official account of “Gilgit-Baltistan, Ladakh, UT, India” #PIBFactCheck: It is a #Fake handle. Union Territory of Ladakh has only 2 official Twitter handles ie @DIPR_Leh& @InformationDep4.”

Ministry of Home Affairs also came forward, issued a similar clarification and asked users to beware of imposters.

“Kindly follow @DIPR_Leh & @InformationDep4 for official updates on UT of Ladakh. There is NO other official account of Govt. of UT of Ladakh. BEWARE OF IMPOSTERS,” said a tweet from the ministry spokesperson.