Salman Khan’s recent visit to the Joy Forum 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has set off a social media frenzy — not for a movie, but for one comment that is igniting geopolitical debate on the internet. A viral video from the event features Salman talking about Indian cinema and the South Asian diaspora in the Middle East being popular. But it’s what he said, and how he said it, that caught people’s attention.
While emphasizing the diversity of the people who are employed in Saudi Arabia, Salman observed, “There are people from Balochistan, there are people from Afghanistan, there are people from Pakistan… everyone is working here.” The observation — innocuous as it seemed — invited widespread discussion since it seemed to differentiate Balochistan from Pakistan.
Most of the internet users appreciated the remark as a recognition of Balochistan’s uniqueness. A user said, “When Salman Khan remarked ‘Balochistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan,’ it says a lot. Balochistan is a country. Baloch is our identity.” Another user said, “Salman Khan dropped a geopolitical bombshell casually — dividing Balochistan from Pakistan. That is not a slip, that is awareness.”
Others wondered if it was a slip of the tongue or on purpose. “Big moment. Slip of the tongue or flash of brilliance? Who knows,” wrote one.
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
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Salman Khan has not commented on the viral moment so far. He shared a podium with fellow Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan at the forum.
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Balochistan, the resource-abundant yet troubled province, has for years been an issue of sensitivity in South Asia. While there are demands by certain groups for greater autonomy and a charge that the Pakistani state has abandoned them, Islamabad insists that Balochistan is indivisible and that separatist sentiment is because of external interference.
Accidental or not, Salman’s statement has reopened debate on the identity of the region and the prevalent tensions.
