KARACHI: Police in Pakistan’s southeastern province of Sindh have registered a kidnapping case following judicial intervention after a prominent businessman was taken by armed men from Karachi four days ago, his lawyer said on Saturday.
Zulfiqar Ahmed, the owner of Next Cola, which has positioned itself as a substitute for Coca-Cola since October amid a push to boycott products allegedly fueling Israel’s war on Gaza, was kidnapped on July 23 after he left his office in the city.
Ahmed, who is also the managing director of Paracha Textile Mills and Mezan Group, went missing after his white Toyota Surf vehicle was intercepted by eight armed men who abducted him and one of his friends before allowing the latter to go.
Ahmed’s friend shared the details of the incident, prompting the businessman’s family and company management submit an application at the Kalri police station on the same day. However, the police refused to register a complaint, making them go to the Sindh High Court, which ordered the police to lodge the case on Friday.
“The news [of Ahmed’s abduction] somehow gained traction on social media,” Mian Ali Ashfaq, the counsel representing Ahmed’s family, told Arab News. “After the social media spotlight on the court order and my protest, my team of office associates went to the police station, where, after four hours, the FIR [First Information Report] was finally registered and a copy was provided to us by Friday afternoon.”
People widely shared news of Ahmed’s abduction across social media platforms, asking the authorities to take steps for his release.
Asad Raza, deputy inspector-general (DIG) of police in Karachi’s southern district where the incident occurred, dismissed the allegations of police inaction in the case.
“It is immaterial whether the FIR was registered instantly or after one day’s delay,” he told Arab News. “We started working on the case when the abduction took place.”
Ashfaq, the counsel representing Ahmed’s family, said the high court had issued notices to respondents and fixed the matter for a hearing on Tuesday.
“We hope that Zulfiqar Ahmed will be recovered and reunited with the family before the next hearing,” he added.
Karachi Police Chief Javed Alam Odho said on Friday two “high-powered” teams were investigating the case.
“A high-powered team, under the supervision of the DIG of the CIA [Crime Investigation Agency] and another under the DIG of the area, are working on it,” he told Arab News. “I am confident this case will be resolved soon.”
According to the lawyer representing Ahmed’s family, however, the case was further complicated after Friday’s court ruling since two senior staff members associated with Next Cola were also picked up from Lahore and Kasur a day earlier.
He added that a petition would be filed in the Lahore High Court for their recovery.
“Hassan Nawaz, Deputy General Manager of Finance at Meezan Beverage, was picked up from Lahore, and Danial Afzal Khan, General Manager at Meezan Beverage, was abducted from Kasur by armed men in white double-cabin vehicles,” he said.
Launched in 2016, Next Cola struggled to gain traction until Israel’s war that started last October and killed over 39,000 people, mostly women and children. Since then, it acquired greater visibility in supermarkets and wedding halls in different parts of Pakistan.
