January 24, 2026 06:11 pm (IST)

Make this your homepage

South Asia / Southeast Asia / China

Constitution ‘sacrosanct’ to PM Modi: Shashi Tharoor’s statement sets political chatter ablaze | A little piece of Greenland': Elon Musk takes a dig at Trump's Board of Peace at Davos | Over 5,000 killed during massive crackdown launched on Iranian protesters: Human rights body | 'Insult' in Kochi, silence in Delhi: Shashi Tharoor likely to skip key Congress meeting as party tensions surface | Outrage in America: ICE detains 5-year-old after he comes home from preschool | Top Maoist leader with ₹2 crore bounty among 16 eliminated in major Jharkhand encounter | Shockwave at Amazon: 14,000 jobs could be cut as early as next week! | Deloitte set to rename jobs of 1.8 lakh employees as AI forces big consulting reset | 'Bigger than tariffs': Ex-IMF economist Gita Gopinath flags pollution as India’s biggest economic threat | SC allows both Hindus and Muslims to pray at disputed Bhojshala in Madhya Pradesh on Basant Panchami

Pizza Hut

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif inaugurating 'fake' Pizza Hut outlet in Sialkot’s cantonment area. Photo: X page video grab/Unsplash

Pizza Hut shock in Pakistan: Defence Minister Asif inaugurates ‘fake’ outlet, company cries fraud

India Blooms News Service | @indiablooms | Jan 21, 2026, at 02:17 pm

#Pizza Hut Pakistan # fake Pizza Hut # Pakistan defence minister # Khawaja Asif Pizza Hut # unauthorised outlet # Sialkot cantonment # Pizza Hut fraud # viral video Pakistan # Yum Brands # Pakistan news # defence minister controversy

A red carpet was rolled out for Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif in Sialkot’s cantonment area, where he recently inaugurated what was claimed to be a Pizza Hut outlet.

However, the event soon turned embarrassing for both the minister and the country after the American multinational restaurant chain clarified that the outlet was “unauthorised and fraudulent.”

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif inaugurates a fake Pizza Hut in Sialkot. pic.twitter.com/Us2GAKVDs3
— TRIDENT (@TridentxIN) January 21, 2026

Pizza Hut reacted after a video of the inauguration ceremony went viral on social media. The outlet prominently displayed the brand’s familiar red roof logo and trademark branding, giving the impression of an official franchise.

Netizens were quick to point out that the Sialkot outlet did not appear on Pizza Hut Pakistan’s official store list, raising questions about its authenticity.

In a clarification post, Pizza Hut Pakistan said: “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.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Pizza Hut Pakistan (@pizzahutpakistan)

The company further added: “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.”

Pizza Hut Pakistan currently operates 16 official outlets nationwide, with 14 located in Lahore and two in Islamabad.

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.