Riyadh — Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has triggered a wave of online debate after he mentioned Balochistan separately while discussing the growing international appeal of Indian films during an event in Saudi Arabia.
Speaking about the mass popularity of Hindi and regional Indian movies abroad, the actor said, “Right now, 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 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.”
Though it remains unclear whether Salman Khan intentionally mentioned Balochistan separately or it was a casual slip of the tongue, his comment has ignited intense discussions on social media. Some users praised the actor for acknowledging Balochistan distinctly, while others questioned the intent behind his words.
One user on X (formerly Twitter) wrote, “Salman Khan mentions ‘Balochistan’ separately from Pakistan because he knows Balochistan is a different country.” Another commented, “Even Bollywood superstar @BeingSalmanKhan knows that Balochistan is the land of ancestors, the Al Balushi people.”
The remark comes amid the longstanding conflict in Balochistan, a mineral-rich province in southwestern Pakistan bordered by Iran and Afghanistan. The region has been embroiled in decades of unrest, with Baloch nationalist groups demanding autonomy or independence since the partition of India in 1947. The movement gained renewed momentum after Bangladesh’s creation in the 1970s.
International human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have accused Pakistan of human rights abuses, forced disappearances, and resource exploitation in the region. According to Amnesty data, around 10,000 Baloch individuals have gone missing since 2011, allegedly at the hands of security agencies.
While Salman Khan has not yet commented on the controversy, his mention of Balochistan — intentional or not — has once again brought global attention to the region’s ongoing struggle for recognition and autonomy.
