KARACHI/LAHORE: Police have arrested scores of people in Pakistan in recent weeks after more than 10 mob attacks on outlets of US fast-food chain KFC, sparked by anti-United States sentiment and opposition to its ally Israel’s war in Gaza, officials said.
Police in major cities in the Islamic nation, including the southern port city of Karachi, the eastern city of Lahore and the capital Islamabad, confirmed at least 11 incidents in which KFC outlets were attacked by protesters armed with sticks and vandalized. At least 178 people were arrested, the officials said this week.
KFC and its parent Yum Brands, both US-based, did not respond to requests for comment.
A police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said one KFC employee was shot and killed this week in a store on the outskirts of Lahore by unknown gunmen. The official added there was no protest at the time and they were investigating whether the killing was motivated by political sentiment or some other reason.
In Lahore, police said they were ramping up security at 27 KFC outlets around the city after two attacks took place and five others were prevented.
“We are investigating the role of different individuals and groups in these attacks,” said Faisal Kamran, a senior Lahore police officer, adding that 11 people, including a member of the Islamist religious party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), were arrested in the city. He added the protests were not officially organized by TLP.
TLP spokesman Rehan Mohsin Khan said the group “has urged Muslims to boycott Israeli products, but it has not given any call for protest outside KFC.”
“If any other person claiming to be a TLP leader or activist has indulged in such activity, it should be taken as his personal act which has nothing to do with the party’s policy,” said Khan.
KFC has long been viewed as a symbol of the United States in Pakistan and borne the brunt of anti-American sentiment in recent decades with protests and attacks.
Western brands have been hit by boycotts and other forms of protests in Pakistan and other Muslim-majority countries in recent months over Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The latest war was triggered by the Palestinian group Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
Since then, more than 51,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive, according to local health authorities.
Yum Brands has said one of its other brands, Pizza Hut, has faced a protracted impact from boycotts related to Israel’s war in Gaza.
In Pakistan, local brands have made inroads into its fast-growing cola market as some consumers avoid US brands. In 2023, Coca-Cola’s market share in the consumer sector in Pakistan fell to 5.7 percent from 6.3 percent in 2022, according to GlobalData, while PepsiCo’s fell to 10.4 percent from 10.8 percent.
Earlier this month, religious clerics in Pakistan called for a boycott of any products or brands that they say support Israel or the American economy, but asked people to stay peaceful and not destroy property.
Over 170 arrested for attacks on Pakistan KFC outlets in Gaza war protests
https://arab.news/p82am
Over 170 arrested for attacks on Pakistan KFC outlets in Gaza war protests
- There have been at least 11 mob attacks on outlets of US fast-food chain KFC in different cities
- KFC has for years borne the brunt of anti-American sentiment with protests and attacks
Pakistan’s Punjab deports more than 31,000 Afghans under nationwide removal campaign
- Police say hundreds more Afghans remain in holding centers as repatriation process continues
- Pakistan has expelled over 1.5 million Afghans since launching the drive campaign in late 2023
ISLAMABAD: Police in Pakistan’s Punjab province said on Saturday they have deported more than 31,000 Afghan nationals living in various districts without legal documentation, as authorities continue a sweeping campaign to expel such people.
Pakistan launched its nationwide deportation drive in late 2023, ordering all “illegal immigrants,” mostly Afghan nationals, to leave the country. The decision was taken after a series of deadly suicide attacks in which the government said Afghan nationals were involved. Kabul denied its citizens were involved in the bombings, describing Pakistan’s security challenges as its own internal issue.
Last month, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan said Islamabad had repatriated over 1.5 million Afghan citizens since November 2023.
“The Punjab Police have so far deported 31,377 Afghans among other illegally residing foreign nationals from Lahore and across the province,” the law enforcement agency said in a statement.
“Another 203 undocumented individuals are currently present in holding points,” it added.
The statement did not specify the period in which these people were rounded up and sent back to their home countries.
According to the statement, the deportees include 11,576 men, 6,679 women and 13,133 children.
Police said those removed comprised individuals with partial documentation such as proof of residence (10,043 people), Afghan Citizen Cards (11,067) and those found to be living illegally (10,267).
“There are five holding centers in Lahore and 46 across the province,” the statement said.
The province’s top cop, Inspector-General of Police Dr. Usman Anwar, said security had been heightened to ensure the removal of undocumented foreign nationals.
“Punjab Police is implementing the policy for the evacuation of illegally residing foreigners under international laws,” he said. “Human rights are being fully taken into account during the process.”
Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghans since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, but deteriorating security concerns and strained relations with Kabul have led Islamabad to initiate the latest deportation campaign, which rights groups have criticized as abrupt and lacking adequate safeguards.
