Khawaja Asif Pizza Hut Controversy: Immediately after the opening, Pizza Hut Pakistan issued a public notice stating, “The outlet opened in Sialkot Cantt is completely illegal. This is a misuse of our trademark. Neither our recipes nor our quality standards are being followed here. We have initiated legal action against this matter.”
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Khawaja Asif: Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif is currently the subject of discussion on social media, not for his defense strategy, but for a pizza slice. The incident took place in Sialkot, where the minister enthusiastically visited to inaugurate a new Pizza Hut outlet. However, the twist in the story came when the original company itself declared the outlet fake. Following this, the minister was heavily trolled on social media.
What is the whole matter?
A sparkling Pizza Hut opened in Sialkot Cantonment. Defense Minister Khawaja Asif was invited as the chief guest for the inauguration. Photos and videos showed the minister, scissors in hand, smiling and cutting the ribbon amidst garlands of flowers. There was applause, photo ops, and cries of “International Pizza” would now be available in Sialkot. However, as soon as photos of the inauguration went viral, Pizza Hut Pakistan shocked everyone by issuing an official notice. The company clearly stated that this outlet has nothing to do with them or their parent company, Yum! Brands.
Khawaja Asif, the so-called Defence Minister, ends up inaugurating a fake Pizza Hut franchise in Sialkot.
Pizza Hut issued a statement calling the franchise a fraud.
These are the dumb boomers imposed on us. pic.twitter.com/Q77qLX3ekE
— MD Umair Khan (@MDUmairKh) January 20, 2026
Pizza Hut Pakistan wrote in the public notice, “The outlet opened in Sialkot Cantonment is completely illegal. This is a misuse of our trademark. Neither our recipes nor our quality standards are being used here. We have initiated legal action against this.” The company also clarified that they have only 16 real outlets in Pakistan (14 in Lahore and 2 in Islamabad). That means, the Pizza Hut that the Minister inaugurated was a Pizza Hut only in name!
There was a huge uproar on social media.
Following this incident, memes flooded the internet. People ridiculed the minister. “A ribbon cut, a statement torn,” one user wrote, adding that it was a record in itself that the outlet was declared illegal just hours after its inauguration. “Defense failed,” quipped another user, “The country’s Defense Minister couldn’t protect an outlet that couldn’t even protect the authenticity of its brand.” Another commented, “From national security to pizza security, Pakistan desperately needs verification everywhere.”
Due diligence is essential
This isn’t the first time a Pakistani leader has suffered such a “gaffe,” but inaugurating a fake international chain without proper investigation at the level of the Defense Minister raises questions about the government’s intelligence. For now, the people of Sialkot are sad that they will not get ‘real’ pizza, and the rest of the world is laughing at the minister cutting the ‘fake’ ribbon.
