Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has sparked a controversy following his recent remarks at Riyadh's Joy Forum 2025.
Multiple media reports stated that the Pakistani government has allegedly placed the actor under the 4th Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act (1997) — a list reserved for individuals suspected of having links to terrorism.
Why was Salman Khan declared a terrorist by Pakistan?
Recently, at Joy Forum 2025, Salman Khan made a controversial statement about Balochistan. While referring to expat communities who migrated to the Middle East, he mentioned Balochistan and Pakistan separately, which went viral on social media.
I don’t know if it was slip of tongue, but this is amazing! Salman Khan separates “people of Balochistan” from “people of Pakistan” .
— Smita Prakash (@smitaprakash) October 19, 2025
pic.twitter.com/dFNKOBKoEz
"If you make a Hindi film and release it here (in Saudi Arabia), it will be a superhit. If you make a Tamil, Telugu, or Malayali (sic) film, it will do hundreds of crores in business because so many people from other countries have come here. There are people from Balochistan, there are people from Afghanistan, there are people from Pakistan... everyone is working here," he said.
While some say it could have been a slip of the tongue, others speculate and see an intentional jab at Pakistan.
"Even Salman Khan admitted that Balochistan is a separate country," one user said while another asserted, "He knows exactly what he said."
The comment did not go down well with the officials in Islamabad, which resulted in the government placing the actor under the 4th Schedule, which implies he will be closely monitored, as per media reports.
