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Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, has found himself at the centre of a massive meme fest after a high-profile inauguration of a fake pizza store in Sialkot. The inauguration turned into a public relations nightmare when the real Pizza Hut stepped forward to declare the new outlet a complete counterfeit.
Khawaja, a senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), proudly cut the ribbon for what was presented as a shiny new Pizza Hut branch in Sialkot Cantonment on Tuesday. The storefront featured the iconic red-roof logo and familiar international branding, giving every indication that the global franchise had arrived in the Pakistani city.
One user, who seems to be a Pakistani through his sentence structuring, in the comments raised a finger about the government in the country. "Kuch asli baki reh geya hy ya nahi is soobay main? Ajeeb vahiyat loog nafiz hain hum per (Is there anything real left in this country? Very strange people are ruling us," he wrote.
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However, the celebratory mood evaporated within hours when the official Pizza Hut Pakistan franchise issued a public disclaimer.
"Unauthorised and unsafe": The brand speaks out
In a formal statement that went viral almost instantly, Pizza Hut Pakistan disowned the Sialkot location entirely. "This outlet is not associated with Pizza Hut Pakistan, or Yum! Brands," the company said in a statement. They further warned the public that the "fake restaurant "does not follow Pizza Hut International recipes, quality protocols, food safety and operational standards.
To protect its trademark, the company confirmed it has filed a formal complaint with the relevant authorities to shut down the misuse of its identity and ensure immediate legal action is taken against the Sialkot operators.
Where are the real Pizza Hut stores in Pakistan?
The official franchise clarified that it currently operates only 16 authorised stores across the entire country. The company revealed that it has 14 stores in Lahore and 2 stores in Islamabad.
Sialkot is notably absent from the official list, and the company has urged pizza lovers to verify locations through authorised channels before ordering.
No defence for Pakistan's defence minister
The incident has triggered a wave of ridicule and disbelief across social media. As images of the federal minister smiling while endorsing a "fake" pizza joint spread, critics and internet trolls questioned how a high-ranking government official could fail to perform a basic background check on a commercial business.
