Twitter Finally Gets It Geography Right: Gilgit-Baltistan Now Shown As Part Of India

Twitter has reportedly blocked Pakistan's official Twitter account in Gilgit-Baltistan and is displaying the location of the region as the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

According to Pakistani English-language newspaper Dawn, even when users enable the location feature on the app, tweets sent from Gilgit-Baltistan are marked as originating from J&K.

The locals have noticed these changes in Twitter's location settings and experienced restricted access to the Pakistan Government's official account.

The issue was brought to light when Twitter users in Gilgit-Baltistan complained about their inability to access the Pakistan government's account.

When users tried to access the account, a message was displayed stating the "account has been withheld in India in response to a legal demand".

Despite numerous reports to the contrary, Pakistani officials have denied any such changes and dismissed the claim as 'baseless'.

"There are no restrictions on the freedom of the internet, media and expression in the entire Gilgit Baltistan," Pakistani officials said, Dawn reported.

The Pakistan government's official account has been banned in India since March 2023. It had previously been withheld twice in 2022 due to legal complaints, reports Times of India.

Yasir Hussain, a resident of the Rahimabad area of Gilgit, expressed his frustration on Twitter.

"I am in #GilgitBaltistan & @Twitter can't show tweets from @GovtofPakistan, saying that account has been withheld in India in response to a legal demand! Hello @TwitterSupport, I'm in Pakistan why can't I see tweets from various accounts I follow including the one mentioned?," tweeted Yasir Hussain, a resident of the Rahimabad area of Gilgit, according to Dawn.

Hussain told Dawn that when he attempted to add the location in his tweets, he discovered that the app was placing him in the Union Territory of J-K instead of Gilgit-Baltistan.

He further expressed his concern that the Pakistani authorities should seriously consider this issue, as as India "might have influenced Twitter to change GB's geotagging".

Karim Shah Nizari, another Twitter user, also reported that he was unable to add Pakistan's location to his tweets.

"The only option we are getting is Jammu and Kashmir," Nizari said.

According to Nizari's statement to Dawn, he is located in the Yasin Valley of Ghizer district. However, he noticed that the Twitter algorithm was displaying tweets from India on his feed.

The government of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) has urged individuals who are making such claims on social media to stop spreading fake news.

Users in GB said the social media platform has "disrespected the status of Gilgit-Baltistan" and called it an attack on the region's identity, Dawn reported.