Khawaja Asif inaugurates unauthorised Pizza Hut outlet in Sialkot, franchise disowns it. Photo: X.
Khawaja Asif: Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, witnessed a next-level embarrassment that even breaks the Pakistani standards. The war-mongering minister inaugurated a restaurant presented as a new Pizza Hut outlet in Sialkot. Within hours, the official Pizza Hut franchise in Pakistan publicly disowned the outlet, calling it unauthorised and falsely using the brand’s name and identity.
After the news about Khawaja Asif inaugurating the outlet came out, Pizza Hut Pakistan issued a statement clarifying, “Pizza Hut Pakistan informs our valued customers that an unauthorised outlet falsely using the Pizza Hut name and branding has recently opened in Sialkot Cantonment.”
The company emphasized that the Sialkot location has no legal or operational connection with either Pizza Hut Pakistan or its parent company, Yum! Brands.
“This outlet is not associated with Pizza Hut Pakistan, or Yum! Brands. It does not follow Pizza Hut International recipes, quality protocols, food safety and operational standards.”
Pizza Hut Pakistan added that it had filed a formal complaint with the relevant authorities to stop the misuse of its trademark and ensure immediate action.
The clarification quickly turned the high-profile inauguration into a source of widespread embarrassment. Images of Khawaja Asif, a senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), cutting the ribbon at the Sialkot Cantonment outlet spread rapidly on social media, sparking ridicule and disbelief.
The Sialkot outlet featured Pizza Hut’s familiar red roof logo and branding, giving the appearance of an official international franchise. However, online users noted that it was missing from Pizza Hut Pakistan’s official store list.
Currently, Pizza Hut Pakistan operates 16 authorised outlets nationwide, 14 in Lahore and two in Islamabad, according to the brand.
The incident also prompted discussions about how a senior federal minister could inaugurate a commercial outlet without confirming its authenticity.
Some voices, however, defended Asif. Pakistani X user Irfan Farooq highlighted concerns over the use of fake franchise licenses rather than criticizing the minister himself:
“It is important to note that this outlet was formally inaugurated on the personal request of the franchise by Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Defence Minister of Pakistan and a senior political figure of PML-N. I personally visited the same outlet on Sunday and placed a takeaway order.”
Farooq added that the POS terminal, packaging, and sauce all appeared “100% original,” leaving little doubt about operational authenticity.
He questioned whether political figures should now be required to verify franchise licenses before attending inaugurations, suggesting such a precedent would be “unrealistic and unreasonable.”
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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