Former finance minister Miftah Ismail has rejected complaints about missing chocolate in Cocomo biscuits, jokingly calling them “Indian propaganda” during a podcast.
Ismail, whose family business Ismail Industries makes Cocomo through its biscuit division Bisconni, challenged the host’s claim about empty biscuits. He defended the company’s quality checks and said the business sells approximately 100 million bags each month.
The host raised the complaint directly: “In a packet of Cocomo, there are usually three biscuits, and out of those, two don’t even have any chocolate in them!”
Ismail firmly disputed the suggestion.
“That is complete nonsense and a total lie. It’s a completely fabricated statement based on falsehoods,” he responded.
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He then laughed and introduced a political joke into the discussion.
“I feel like there’s some kind of Indian conspiracy behind this,” he said.
Ismail argued that the chances of finding two biscuits without chocolate in a three-piece packet were negligible.
“Out of three biscuits, the probability of two being empty is practically zero,” he said.
He pointed to the company’s monthly sales volume while rejecting the host’s description of its products.
“Not a single bag comes out where two out of three biscuits are empty. That’s just impossible,” he stated.
Ismail said the company depended on quality for its livelihood and took manufacturing standards seriously.
“We are extremely careful about quality control,” he added.
He ended with another joke about India, this time mentioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“This sounds completely like Indian propaganda, yeah, pure Indian propaganda orchestrated by Modi sahib,” he joked.
The exchange focused on complaints about chocolate filling. Ismail’s references to India formed part of his humorous response, rather than a substantiated allegation.
Cocomo has prompted similar consumer debates before. In 2021, Twitter users complained about finding three biscuits in Rs5 packets and campaigned for at least five pieces.
Other consumers reported hollow biscuits without chocolate. Singer and comedian Ali Gul Pir also joined the discussion and publicly demanded five Cocomos per packet.
Ismail maintained at the time that each packet should contain four biscuits, although customers reported receiving three. He attributed the reduction from five to four to rising ingredient costs.
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He argued that the company had retained the Rs5 price despite higher production expenses. Consumers nevertheless continued questioning the number of biscuits they found inside their packets.
Bisconni introduced Cocomo in 2002, according to Ismail Industries’ official history. Its chocolate centre and jingle, “Cocomo, mujhe bhi do,” helped make it one of Pakistan’s best-known snacks.
Ismail is among the owners of the family business behind Bisconni and confectionery brand Candyland.
The company’s 2025 annual report described a Cocomo Triple Chocolate relaunch with increased chocolate content. Actor Fahad Mustafa featured in the campaign, which promoted the product’s chocolate filling and sharing appeal.
