E-Paper
Pakistan minister Khawaja Asif trolled for inaugurating fake ‘Pizza Hut’, US company issues statement
Visuals of Pakistan's defence minister, Khawaja Asif, inaugurating a pizza store went viral on social media.
Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif is being trolled on social media after visuals of him inaugurating a ‘Pizza Hut’ in Sialkot went viral. While the high-profile inauguration ceremony didn’t initially spark controversy, it came under social media scrutiny after the US-based food chain issued a statement calling the outlet "unauthorised" and denying any links to it.
What did Pizza Hut say?
The food giant said that the outlet at Sialkot Cantonment is falsely using its name. It also stated that it has reported the incident to the authorities.
“Public Notice: Pizza Hut Pakistan would like to inform our valued customers that an unauthorized outlet falsely using the Pizza Hut name and branding has opened in Sialkot Cantonment. This outlet is not affiliated with Pizza Hut Pakistan or Yum! Brands and does not follow Pizza Hut International recipes, quality protocols, or food safety standards. We have formally reported this matter to the relevant authorities for immediate action,” the food chain wrote on social media. Yum! Brands is a major American multinational fast-food corporation, the parent company of Pizza Hut.
The company further clarified, “Pizza Hut Pakistan currently operates 16 official stores nationwide - 14 in Lahore and 2 in Islamabad at the moment.”
How did social media react?
An individual wondered, “How could he not know?” Another added, “Wasting the government budget.” A third expressed, “Man, I just visited yesterday and found nothing was up to mark... I was also wondering about this.... yeah, it seems like a scam.”
Also Read: Pak minister schooled by CNN anchor for absurd 'social media' reply as proof of downing Indian jets
A fourth wrote, “But here the opening ceremony was done by the defence minister of Pakistan, that's wrong.” Pizza Hut didn’t address the inauguration directly; it replied with a link to authorised Pizza Hut outlets in Pakistan.
