The police in Pakistan have arrested at least 178 people after a series of coordinated attacks against branches of a fast food chain based in the United States during protests, they confirmed this week.
The incidents occurred in recent weeks in the main cities, including Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.
At least 11 points of sale of the chain were destroyed by protesters armed with sticks, with several places that suffer damage to the property.
Since then, security has increased, particularly in Lahore, where the police say they are actively monitoring and protecting 27 points of sale after two were attacked and five other attacks attempted were frustrated.
“We are investigating the role of different individuals and groups in these attacks,” said Faisal Kamran, a senior police officer in Lahore.
He pointed out that 11 suspects were arrested only in Lahore, including a member of a political group.
However, the group, Tehreek-E-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), denied orchestrate the attacks. The TLP spokesman, Rean Mohsin Khan, declared that although the party supports a boycott of Israeli products, he did not ask for protests aimed at the fast food chain.
“If an individual who claims to be affiliated with our party involved in such acts, he did it on his own,” he said.
It is believed that the boweling arrived in the middle of a wave of boycott and demonstrations against Western brands in Pakistan and other Muslim majority nations, in response to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The fast food chain and its parent company have not publicly responded to incidents.
Meanwhile, companies in the affected areas continue to reinforce security as the authorities investigate the coordinated nature of the disturbances.
