KARACHI: A prominent Pakistani businessman, owner of a local cola company among other businesses, returned home in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Sunday, his lawyer said, five days after his “kidnapping” in Karachi in the country’s south.
Zulfiqar Ahmed, the owner of Next Cola, was kidnapped on July 23 after he left his office in Karachi, according to his family.
The vehicle of Ahmed, who is also the managing director of Paracha Textile Mills and Mezan Group, was intercepted by eight armed men in Karachi’s Mauripur area, who abducted him and one of his friends before allowing the latter to go after a while.
Ahmed’s family and his company’s management submitted an application at the Kalri police station in Karachi on the same day, but the police refused to register a complaint, making them go to the Sindh High Court. The court ordered the police to lodge the case on Friday.
Police, however, denied it had refused to register the complaint.
“The family just confirmed to me that Zulfiqar Ahmed has returned home,” Mian Ali Ashfaq, the counsel representing Ahmed and his family, told Arab News on Sunday night.
He said Ahmed returned home to his extended family in Lahore and that he would be in a position to share more details once he spoke with his client.
Asad Raza, deputy inspector-general (DIG) of police in Karachi’s South district where the incident occurred, said Ahmed’s family had confirmed to him that he had returned home safely.
“This is all what could be shared at the moment,” Raza said, when asked further about the case.
The news of Ahmed’s abduction was widely shared by Pakistanis on social media platforms, who demanded authorities take steps for his release.
However, the case was further complicated after two senior staff members associated with Cola Next were also picked up from Lahore and Kasur on Friday, according to Ahmed’s lawyer. The two staffers included Hassan Nawaz, deputy general manager of finance at Meezan Beverage, and Danial Afzal Khan, general manager at Meezan Beverage.
Ahmed’s lawyer, Ashfaq, said since the owner of Cola Next had returned home, his two employees should also be set free soon.
Launched in 2016, Cola Next has gained more visibility in Pakistan amid calls to boycott Coca-Cola for its alleged ties to Israel, including funding military operations in Palestine.
