‘Yahoodi agent’, ‘begging for funds’: Pakistanis slam PM Shehbaz Sharif over meeting with Israel-linked Rothschild & Co

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met a delegation from Rothschild & Co in London on September 29 but made the mistake of sharing the development on social media and subsequently inviting a vitriolic backlash from Pakistanis.

In a post on X on Tuesday, Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s Office said, “Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif met delegation of Rothschild & Co headed by Lord Mark Sedwill, Chair of Geostrategic Advisory in London, today.”

The handle also posted a picture of Shehbaz Sharif meeting with a delegation from Rothschild & Co.

Pakistanis noted the post on X and blasted Sharif for meeting executives of the financial firm, as the Rothschild family has historical connections with Jewish settlements in Palestine before Israel was established in 1948.

The Rothschild family has a documented historical connection with Jewish settlement in Palestine, particularly through Baron Edmond James de Rothschild, a member of the Rothschild banking family. Edmond provided substantial financial support to Jewish agricultural settlements in Palestine from the 1880s and later established the Palestine Jewish Colonization Association (PICA), states the website of the Israeli parliament Knesset.

The photo and meeting details were enough to anger Pakistani citizens on social media.

‘Curse be upon Pakistani govt and establishment’

One X user from Pakistan called Sharif a “Yahoodi agent”, while another wrote, “Curse be upon the Pakistani govt and establishment. As a Pakistani, I’m ashamed of this.”

Pakistani columnist Raja Muneeb said the meeting showed that “begging for funds” was more important for PM Sharif, than “freedom of Palestine”, as he sat with “the Jewish family”.

Muneeb said, “Note he is meeting the Jewish family of Rothschild & Co. What explains Pakistan PM sitting with Jewish family. Begging for funds is more important than Palestine’s freedom!!”

Pakistani human rights advocate and writer Humaira Wajahat slammed the meeting with “Israel’s founding family”, and said, “We don’t need Israel’s geostrategy for Pakistan.”

Islamabad-based PTI member Choudhry Ahtsham Mustufa said, “Shahbaz Sharif has met with representatives of the notorious Zionist Rothschild family in London. Have a look at some of this family’s history so you can understand who is behind the current regime, and why Imran Khan is in prison.”

“Noon League [Sharif’s party PML-N] spent years calling Imran a Yahoodi agent,” said one X user, accusing the Sharif government of “zero shame”.

‘Shameful and highly condemnable’

Islamabad-based journalist and influencer Haris Nadeem Khan said, “The act by PM Pakistan is shameful and highly condemnable. It disgraces his office, betrays public trust and tarnishes Pakistan’s image. Such irresponsible behaviour is unacceptable and must be strongly condemned.”

The meeting also comes after Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif sparked controversy by referring to the sons of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan and Jemima Goldsmith as Jews. Goldsmith has a Jewish background.

Imran Khan has repeatedly faced criticism from some quarters in Pakistan over allegations of representing the “Jewish lobby”.

An X user based in Pakistan wrote, “You people used to say Imran Khan is a Jewish agent, but he turned out to be a true Momen, but in fact you and your handlers are true Jewish agents.”

Pakistan does not recognise Israel as country

As a policy, Pakistan does not recognise Israel as a country and has consistently maintained its support for the Palestinian cause. Islamabad has repeatedly stated that it will not recognise Israel unless a just settlement of the Palestine issue, satisfactory to the Palestinian people, is reached.

The Pakistani government’s official statement said that the discussions with Rothschild & Co centred on Pakistan’s geo-economic priorities and potential advisory collaboration on capital markets and investment strategy.

Shehbaz met Rothschild & Co as part of a round of meetings with global financial institutions. He also held talks with representatives of Barclays, JP Morgan, Citi and BlackRock during his UK visit.

What is Rothschild connection with Israel?

The Knesset website describes Baron Edmond James de Rothschild as a public figure known as the “Founding Father of the Yishuv” during the period of the First Aliyah. He was the third son of James Mayer de Rothschild, who headed the French branch of the Rothschild family.

According to the Knesset, Baron de Rothschild sought to remain anonymous in his philanthropic activities and was consequently known for years as “the Known Benefactor”. During World War I, he became more closely associated with the Zionist movement, particularly in connection with the Balfour Declaration and the post-war Paris Peace Conference.

In 1923, de Rothschild established the Palestine Jewish Colonization Association (PICA) to administer his lands in Eretz Yisrael, appointing his son, James, as its president.

The Balfour Declaration

On November 2, 1917, British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour addressed the document that became known as the Balfour Declaration to “Dear Lord Rothschild”, asking him to communicate it to the Zionist Federation.

The declaration said the British government viewed “with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.”

The Rothschild Archive says Edmond supported land purchases and settlements from the 1880s and that his donations provided “significant support” to the movement that eventually helped lead to Israel’s establishment. By his death in 1934, his activities had involved nearly 500,000 dunams of land and almost 30 settlements, according to the archive.