Fact-Check: Is caretaker government considering handing over Gilgit-Baltistan to China?

Claim:

A social media user claimed that the Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Karar-led caretaker government is mulling handing over Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan's fifth legal ‘provisional’ province, to China for a period of 50 years.

The claim is supported by a screenshot of a newspaper headline; "Considerations underway to hand over Gilgit-Baltistan to China."

"International forces are trying to make Gilgit-Baltistan a place for terrorists to spy on China. In the first phase, China will start development projects in Gilgit-Baltistan," the sub-headline of the newspaper read.

گلگت بلتستان کا سودا کر دیا گیا @Ali_MuhammadPTI @AnwarLodhi @amber_rj @ARYSabirShakir @balochi5252 @PTIofficial pic.twitter.com/qn9VFxnf6E

— Abid Ali ⁱᴾⁱᵃⁿ (@AbidRao_IT) December 9, 2023

Fact: 

However, Interim Information Minister Murtaza Solangi vehemently denied these claims, labeling them as "false". 

Taking to micro-blogging site, X, the minister clarified that the news had not been reported in any newspaper. He warned that those propagating such "misinformation for malicious purposes would face legal action".

یہ کسی اخبار میں نہیں چھپا۔جن لوگوں نے اسے گھڑا ہے اور جو اس جھوٹے تراشے کو مذموم مقاصد کیلیے پھیلا رہے ہیں، ان کیخلاف قانون کے مطابق کارروائی کی جائے گی۔ https://t.co/aNlATn8zqI

— Murtaza Solangi (@murtazasolangi) December 10, 2023

Furthermore, the Ministry of Information's Fact Check department also termed the news as "fake".

"Disseminating #FakeNews is not only unethical and illegal but it is also [a] disservice to the nation. It is the responsibility of everyone to reject irresponsible behavior. Reject #FakeNews," the post read.

Disseminating #FakeNews is not only unethical and illegal but it is also disservice to the nation. It is the responsibility of everyone to reject irresponsible behavior. Reject #FakeNews pic.twitter.com/ymAAhPjdaH

— Fact Checker MoIB (@FactCheckerMoIB) December 10, 2023

One user claimed that the fake news was first published in 2011.

2011 گیارہ میں یہ فیک نیوز پبلش ہوئی تھی پی ٹی آئی والے پھر اسے سرکولیٹ کر رہے ہیں۔حالانکہ 13 برس گزر گئے گلگت بلتستان پاکستان کے پاس ہی ہے۔
پاکستان کا دشمن بھی یہ نہیں کر سکتا جو یہ لوگ کر رہے ہیں۔ pic.twitter.com/gTIqEvzd8D

— Faisal Abbasi (@Faisalabassi) December 7, 2023