Salman Khan not declared a terrorist: Pakistan Home Department

ISLAMABAD: Indian media outlets have claimed that Bollywood actor Salman Khan has been placed on the Fourth Schedule of Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act for allegedly making remarks about Balochistan during the Joy Forum 2025 in Riyadh. The reports allege that the Pakistani government labeled Khan an “Azad Balochistan Facilitator” in an "official" notification issued by the Balochistan Home Department dated Oct. 16, 2025.

The claim surfaced a week after Salman Khan, speaking at the Joy Forum 2025 in Riyadh, reportedly said, “... people from our countries — people of Balochistan, people of Afghanistan, people of Pakistan,” during a panel discussion with fellow Indian actors Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan on the growing influence of Indian cinema in the Middle East. His comments were widely shared on social media but drew no formal response from Pakistani authorities.

Indian media’s claim

Indian outlets circulated what they described as a Pakistan government notification placing Salman Khan under the Fourth Schedule — a list typically reserved for individuals suspected of having links to terrorism. The document cited the reason as “Azad Balochistan Facilitator,” a term never used in official Pakistani communication.

But not the truth

Before contacting officials, Pakistan TV Digital examined the document and identified major inconsistencies:

• The alleged notification bears the same issue number — No. SO (Judl: II)/8 (1)/2025/ATA/5995-6018 — as a verified Balochistan Home Department document shared on X by Shalee Baloch on Oct. 21.
  
  

• The date on the issuance of this notification is Oct. 16, but according to the Joy Forum website, Salman Khan took the stage with Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan on Oct. 17. 
  Alleged                                  Original Shared on X
  
  

• The format, fonts, and alignment differ sharply from standard government notifications.
  
  

• The “Parentage” column does not follow the official “s/o, w/o, d/o” format used in Pakistani records.
  
  

• The document reads “the following names” but lists only one — Salman Khan.
  
  

• The spelling of “Balochistan” is wrong in the letterhead of the claimed document.

Salman Khan’s alleged document: 

Original document shared on X: 

• Salman Khan’s alleged CNIC number does not match Pakistan’s format (XXXXX-XXXXXXX-X).
  
  

• Crucially, Pakistani government documents have never referred to the term “Azad Balochistan.”
  
  

• The signature section is an exact duplicate of the one appearing on Shalee Baloch’s notification, with clear evidence of digital distortion.
  Alleged                                                     Original Shared on X
   

Verified reality

After verifying with intelligence sources, it is confirmed that no such document has been issued. Officials from the Home Department of Balochistan called it a "fake letter" and dismissed Indian media reports. 

As the frenzy settles, one takeaway remains clear: While fake news may rise faster than facts, Indian media and Bollywood content production teams need a 101 on using Photoshop.