Punjab Minister of Information, Azma Bokhari, criticized the recent attacks on international fast food outings throughout the country, noting that they were carried out in a “organized” way.
His statement occurs after a series of recent attacks at the points of sale of international fast food chains in Sindh and Punjab, as a form of protest and boycott against Israeli atrocities in Gaza, with an incident in Sheikhupura that claims the life of a worker.
Speaking about the incidents during a press conference in Lahore, Bokhari said: “All these attacks were clearly carried out under an organized plan; it was not something that happened at the time of the moment. That is not absolutely the case.
“It is important to keep in mind that all these attacks are taking place in accordance with a plan in Punjab only,” he said. Attacks have also been reported to rapid food exits from international chains in Karachi from Sindh, Mirpurkhas and Larkana.
Stating that Punjab was “making a fast progress”, the leader of PML-N reiterated that an “extremist group was doing such acts with adequate planning.”
Punjab minister again warned that criminals would be treated with “iron hands and would not be saved.” The PML-N leader said that “there may be political terrorists or people incitable in society who carried out their activities in recent days.”
Answering a question, Bokhari said that the government has a “strict eye to these groups”, adding that arrests have been made and that the suspects would be treated with justice.
She said the Government would decide when it was appropriate to reveal details, adding that the groups “did not want the peace or progress of Pakistan and had the old habit of using religion and doing the policy on the bodies.”
Punjab Minister also urged courts to give perpetrators “exemplary punishment.”
She emphasized that fast food outlets were franchises bought by Pakistani and where Pakistani worked.
“If the 25,000 Pakistani who work there are unemployed, will the people of Gaza benefit? Or will these Gaza oppressed people benefit in some way of these attacks? [only] causing loss to Pakistan […] And they are trying to disfigure Pakistan that God’s companies cannot be executed here, ”he said.
The PML-N leader said that the Punjab government of his party would not allow “no one to take the law and order in their hands, either in the name of religion, solidarity or political terrorism.”
“The type of fire tried to try … These people are not Pakistani or love Pakistan. These are those who do not like peace, investment or development in Pakistan. There could also be some foreign hand involved in this that wants to destabilize Pakistan,” he said.
Punjab Minister stressed that the Palestinians had not “taken arms but were giving their lives” and emphasized that Islam guaranteed the protection of people’s lives.
“What was your fault?” Bokhari asked, referring to the worker killed in Sheikhupura.
He called society and the media that discourage such attacks, highlighting that several political and religious parties carried out peaceful protests, in which “nobody has any objection.” He added that the Armed Forces had also expressed their commitment to frustrate the actions of terrorists or violent groups.
Sharing details of the attacks, Bokhari said that until now a total of 149 “malefactors” had been arrested for their alleged participation and 14 first information reports (FIR).
Giving a breakdown in the district, he declared that 71 suspects were arrested for the Sheikhupura case where a worker was killed; 33 people were arrested in three cases in Rawalpindi; 11 suspects were held on three FIR in Lahore, while another 11 were arrested in a fine.
In addition, eight individuals were arrested in a case in Gujranwala; Seven people were held in two cases in Bahawalpur; Six people were arrested in Sahiwal; And two were arrested in Rahim Yar Khan, while a FIR was also recorded in Faisalabad.
Responding to a consultation, Bokhari emphasized that renowned clergymen should talk about the matter “more strongly” to raise awareness among the public about attacks that cause losses and damage to citizens.
The minister pointed out that the government was taking measures to help the Palestinians, including sending aid for the besieged enclave.
The Israeli offensive in Gaza, which began in response to the unprecedented attack of Hamas on October 7, 2023, has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians and has destroyed much of the hospital and housing infrastructure in the enclave. It is feared that the death toll is much higher because thousands are still lacking under the rubble.
Attacks at the outputs
At least three restaurants in Karachi were attacked between April 7 and April 9, and another was frustrated on April 10. Police said they had reserved and arrested 10 activists from the Tehreek-I-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) religious party for one of the incidents.
Other parts of Sindh were also witnesses of attacks such as criminals burned a restaurant in Mirpurkhas and Peled Stones at a KFC departure in Larkana the next day.
In Lahore, 11 TLP activists were arrested to throw stones and damage a fast food chain in the city’s defense housing authority.
After a April 14 attack in a restaurant in Rawalpindi, the police said that the vandals involved had been tracked through closed circuit television cameras (CCTV). The next day, Islamabad police said they had arrested five people who were involved in destroying a restaurant in the E-11 sector of the capital.
However, an incident in Punjab Sheikhupura became deadly when an employee present at the exit was killed when armed men opened fire on April 14, the same day that the FTA had requested an anti-Israel protest.
