McDonald’s Pakistan has clarified that the American fast food chain here was not affiliated with the one operating in Israel, after facing backlash over its Israeli chain’s decision to provide free meals to the forces amid the war against Hamas.

“McDonald’s in Pakistan is a local enterprise, with full ownership and operation overseen by SIZA Foods Pvt Ltd Pakistan,” it said in a statement shared on X, erstwhile Twitter, on Saturday. “We are not affiliated with McDonald’s operations in Israel, which is a locally-owned Israelian enterprise.”

The statement comes a day after the hashtag Boycott Mcdonald was trending on social media on Friday around the world. In an Instagram post, the burger giant’s Israel chain made the announcement of sending free meals to Israeli soldiers along with pictures on their official Israel branch Instagram handle.

McDonald’s Israel said they had opened five branches that deal “only with aid and donations to the security and rescue forces. Every day we will donate about 4000 meals.”

The decision irked many people in the Muslim world, as they lamented that Israel was given aid when it had blocked food, water, and electricity access to Gaza. It merits here to mention that many Palestinians have left northern Gaza after Israel’s ultimatum to flee.

On Saturday, the statement stated that McDonald’s in Israel operated as a separate entity from McDonald’s Pakistan and made its own business and communications decisions, independent of their business in Pakistan.

The American fast food chain started its operations in Pakistan with its first restaurant in Lahore in 1998. It has expanded to 81 restaurants across the country.

“We would like to clarify that McDonald’s Pakistan is a commercial entity with a single-minded focus on serving great food and providing exceptional service,” it said.

“We do not engage in any form of political movement. Our dedication is solely to delivering the McDonald’s experience you love and trust,” the burger chain said and added that it was looking forward to serving the people and contributing to the success of the community.