Pakistan's Defense Minister opened a Pizza Hut branch, and shortly after, the company said, 'It's not ours'.

Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has faced an unexpected crisis after ceremonially opening a 'Pizza Hut' branded outlet in the Sialkot military cantonment area. Within hours of photos and videos circulating on social media showing the minister cutting the ribbon to open the outlet, Pizza Hut issued a statement declaring that the outlet was fake and had no connection with their company.

The widely circulated images on the internet showed the minister holding scissors and cutting the ribbon of the outlet, posing for photographs. However, Pizza Hut Pakistan immediately responded, stating that the restaurant opened in Sialkot was a counterfeit establishment operating under the misuse of their brand name. The company further emphasized that this outlet does not follow any of Pizza Hut International's recipes, food safety procedures, or operational standards.

Following the revelation of this incident, the minister has been heavily ridiculed on social media platforms (especially on X). One social media user criticized, "Such foolish old men are forcibly imposed on a country," while another mocked Pizza Hut's denial of the incident by commenting, "This is not our slice of pizza." Many were astonished that a person holding a high position like the Defense Minister would proceed to open such a fake establishment without proper verification.

Pizza Hut has stated that it has filed an official complaint with the relevant authorities to prevent the misuse of its trademark and has requested immediate legal action against it. According to the company's data, there are currently only 16 official Pizza Hut outlets operating in Pakistan, with 14 located in Lahore and the remaining 2 in Islamabad.

Pizza Hut, operating under Yum! Brands in the United States, is a renowned food chain spread across more than 100 countries worldwide. This business, which started as a small pizza shop in Kansas, USA, in 1958 by brothers Dan and Frank Carney, is now under a company that owns giant brands like KFC and Taco Bell, and has become a globally recognized brand today.