Shehbaz Sharif Meets Rothschild Executives, Pakistan Opposition Erupts Over Israel Links
Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif's meeting with Rothschild & Co executives in London has triggered criticism over the firm's historical links to Zionism and Jewish settlements in Palestine.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's meeting with Rothschild & Co executives in London has triggered criticism in Pakistan, with opponents highlighting the Rothschild family's historical association with Zionism and Jewish settlements in Palestine.
Sharif met Lord Mark Sedwill, Chair of Geostrategic Advisory at Rothschild & Co, and Majid Ishaq, the firm's Head of UK Investment Banking, on September 29. According to Pakistan's PMO, discussions focused on the country's geo-economic priorities and potential cooperation in capital markets and investment strategy.
The meeting was not with members of the Rothschild family, and Pakistan has not announced that Rothschild & Co has been formally appointed as an adviser. Sharif's talks were part of a broader UK visit during which he also met representatives of major global financial institutions.
However, the Rothschild name quickly became a political flashpoint because Pakistan does not recognise Israel. Critics on social media questioned the meeting while recalling historical roles played by members of the Rothschild family in the Zionist movement and Jewish settlement in Palestine.
The historical connection includes Lionel Walter Rothschild, who received the 1917 Balfour Declaration, and Edmond James de Rothschild, who financially supported Jewish settlements in Ottoman Palestine.
While critics have called the family "founders of Israel", historians describe the establishment of Israel as a far more complex process involving multiple political and historical forces.
