Salman Khan separates Balochistan from Pakistan at Saudi event, fans laud actor’s comment: ‘A subtle but bold distinction’

He used that fact to argue that films from the area in question are bound to do well in places like Saudi Arabia. The actor said, “See, right now if you make a Hindi film and release it here (Saudi), it will be a superhit. If you make a Tamil, Telugu or Malayali film, they will do hundreds of crores of business. Just in this part, because so many people from our countries have come here. There are people from Balochistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, and everyone is working here.”

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While people didn’t disagree with the logic behind Salman Khan’s argument, netizens were quick to notice that Salman Khan made a very clear distinction between people from Balochistan and Pakistan. For context, Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan and also the least developed. Since about 2000, the area has been marred by insurgency, human rights violations and war, while the people of the region have been trying to gain independence from all the powers they share their borders with: Pakistan, Iran and Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. The Balochistan army is even considered a terrorist organisation by the Pakistani government.

Because many people refrain from referring to the controversial province as anything other than a part of Pakistan, Salman Khan’s remarks have sparked considerable debate. While some have praised the actor for clearly distinguishing between Pakistan and Balochistan, others argue that his statement is part of a larger strategy.

Fans on X (formerly Twitter) flooded the site with their own interpretation. One user wrote, “It’s rare to hear such a subtle but bold distinction in mainstream media. By separating ‘people of Balochistan’ from ‘people of Pakistan’, Salman Khan has indirectly acknowledged the unique identity and struggles of Balochistan.” Another user said, “Doesn’t seem to be a slip of the tongue. Well done, Salman Khan.”

On the other hand, some were adamant that this isn’t a serious political statement by the actor. A user wrote, “Maybe a new movie in the making, Bajrangi Bhaijaan 2: Mission Balochistan.” Many netizens also argued that Salman wanted to mention Bangladesh and not Balochistan.