Recently, reports surfaced that actor Salman Khan was labeled a terrorist by Pakistan following his comments suggesting Balochistan is distinct from the country. However, Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has now clarified the situation.
Pakistani ministry addresses reports of Salman Khan being on a terror watchlist
On Sunday, the ministry's official fact-checking team took to Twitter (now X) to address news articles alleging that Salman was on a terror watch list. The tweet featured a screenshot of a headline that read: 'Pakistan puts Salman Khan on terror watchlist after Balochistan remark'. The screenshot was labeled with a stamp saying 'Fake news / unverified'.
The article emphasized the assertion, referencing the news report: "Salman Khan is reportedly listed on Pakistan's 'Fourth Schedule' under its Anti-Terrorism Act following his comments on Balochistan, and is described as a 'terror facilitator'. (As reported by India Today and other Indian media)."
The assertion is both unconfirmed and incorrect.
The account subsequently stated, "There was no official statement, notification, or entry from any Pakistani government source found on NACTA's list of banned individuals, nor in any gazette from the Ministry of Interior or provincial Home Department, indicating Salman Khan's addition to the Fourth Schedule." It also mentioned, "All reports accessible to the public originate from Indian media sources reiterating the claim, yet none can be traced back to an official Pakistani watch-list release or an official statement."
To sum up, the Pakistani Ministry of Information and Broadcasting remarked, 'Without credible primary evidence, the assertion is unconfirmed and inaccurate. Considering the circumstances, this seems more like a sensational headline than a proven fact.' The tweet further suggested some 'potential motives' behind the story, associating them with sensationalism.
What Salman Khan stated
Earlier this month, Salman Khan participated in the Joy Forum 2025 held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he shared the stage with Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan. During his time on stage, he spoke about the widespread popularity of Indian films in the Middle East, stating, “Currently, if you produce a Hindi film and release it here (in Saudi Arabia), it will be a massive hit. Similarly, if you create a Tamil, Telugu, or Malayali film, it will generate hundreds of crores in revenue because there are so many people from different countries residing here. There are individuals from Balochistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan... everyone is employed here.”
Balochistan, a province in the southwest of Pakistan, shares borders with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Sindh. Since 1947, the province has sought autonomy and independence, a demand that intensified following the creation of Bangladesh in 1971. Issues such as human rights abuses, resource exploitation, and political marginalization are prevalent. Amnesty International reports that approximately 10,000 Baloch individuals have gone missing in Pakistan since 2011.
