Following a series of protests against KFC branches throughout the nation that resulted in one person being killed, authorities in Pakistan have made dozens of arrests.
The ring is a symbol for the United States and its allies, according to protesters who are unhappy about the conflict in Gaza.
According to Pakistan’s Minister of State for the Interior Talal Chaudhry, at least 20 intended attacks on KFC shops have been recorded across the nation in the past year.
Videos posted on social media show crowds threatening to burn down KFC locations before officers arrive to assault activists. Two businesses in Karachi were set on fire.
A person yells,” They are buying guns with the money you make,” in a video posted on social media.
Chaudhry, who denounced the violence, claimed that” the majority of the sellers involved are Bangladeshi” and that” the profits go to Pakistanis.”
Asif Nawaz, 45, was a staff member at KFC who was shot during one of the demonstrations in the town of Sheikhupura, on the outskirts of Lahore, on April 14. A police officer confirmed to BBC News that the victim was a staff member at KFC.
At the time, Sheikhupura Regional Police Officer Athar Ismail claimed that Nawaz was attempting to kill him in the kitchen when he was struck in the back by a pistol fired from more than 100 feet apart. He claimed to BBC News that the main suspect is still at big but that authorities have made 40 detention thus far.
Although a bullet fired from that range is not typically dangerous, a post-mortem revealed that the gun traveled towards his neck after hitting his head.
Mr. Ismail told BBC News that there was no conclusive proof that the shooting may have been an accident because it was unintentional.
In addition, powerful individuals from across Pakistan have condemned the battle in Gaza.
Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan ( TLP), an Islamist party, has launched protests against Israel and the US, but has denied being a part of the KFC attacks.
Mufti Taqi Usmani, one of Pakistan’s most renowned Sunni scholars, has urged a protest of materials that are thought to be linked to the conflict.
However, both have urged activists to refrain from using crime.
Usmani said in notes made at the National Palestine Conference on Thursday that while it was important to ban goods and businesses from or linked to Israel, Islam “is not a church that encourages affecting people” and that it is against” put rocks or throw anyone’s life at risk.”
So you can continue to protest and protest in a calm way. There shouldn’t be any aspect of hostility or disorderly conduct, he said.
Rehan Mohsin Khan, a spokeswoman for TLP, stated that the organization has “urged Muslims to ban Jewish products, but it has not called for protest outside KFC.”
Since Israel’s battle on Gaza began, there have been numerous instances of American businesses being attacked, criticized, and protested in Pakistan and various Muslim nations.
McDonald’s announced last year that it would repurchase all of its Jewish restaurants because a protest resulting from a rumored Jewish support for Israel caused a decline in sales.
Following a number of protests and boycott efforts in part related to the Israel-Gaza conflict, Starbucks called for harmony and blamed “misrepresentation” of its sights on September 20, 2023.
The BBC requested post from KFC and its parent company Yum Brands, but they have not yet responded.