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Shehbaz Sharif’s London money hunt has produced an unexpected backlash. The Pakistani prime minister met JP Morgan, Barclays, Citi, BlackRock and Rothschild executives as Islamabad tries to attract capital and manage a severe economic crisis. The government says the meetings focused on investment banking, sovereign debt, capital markets and Pakistan’s reform programme. But the Rothschild engagement has enraged critics who accuse Sharif of hypocrisy. Pakistan does not recognise Israel and has built much of its political messaging around Palestine, Gaza and opposition to Zionism. Its leaders have also used “Jewish lobby” allegations against political rivals. Now the same establishment is seeking help from global finance. The controversy is not proof of a policy shift towards Israel. It is proof that Pakistan’s financial desperation is colliding with its ideological politics. Islamabad wants international money without abandoning the slogans that made the meeting politically explosive.