Punjab Minister of Information, Ade Bokhari, said on Sunday that a series of recent attacks aimed at international points of fast food sales in Pakistan were carried out under an “organized plan.”
The attacks, concentrated in the provinces of Punjab and Sindh, exploded in response to Israel’s military actions in Gaza. The protesters and the violent groups destroyed, set fire and threw stones at points of sale of international fast food chains.
A deadly incident in the Sheikhupura district resulted in the murder of a restaurant employee after armed men opened fire on April 14.
When heading to a press conference at Lahore, Azma Bokhari said that these incidents were not isolated or spontaneous. “It is important to keep in mind that all these attacks are taking place in accordance with a plan alone in Punjab,” he said. She claimed that an extremist group was behind violence, with the aim of interrupting peace and stability.
The authorities, said Bokhari, had arrested 149 suspects so far in relation to attacks. There had been a total of 14 first information reports (FIRS), including 71 arrests in Sheikhupura, 33 in Rawalpindi and others in Lahore, fine, Gujranwala, Bahawalpur, Sahiwal, Rahim Yar Khan and Faisalabad.
Bokhari accused the political and extremist elements of exploiting religious feeling for their own agendas. “These people do not love Pakistan or want peace, investment or development in the country. There could also be a foreign hand involved in this,” he said.
The minister urged the courts to grant exemplary punishments to those responsible and asked the clergymen to speak more strongly against the attacks, warning that such violence was harming the common Pakistani instead of supporting the Palestinians.
“The 25,000 Pakistani who work at these fast food points will lose their jobs. Will this benefit from the people of Gaza? These are Pakistani businesses, administered by Pakistani,” he emphasized.
Bokhari reaffirmed the government’s commitment to peace and order, stating that no one would be allowed to take the law in their own hands in the name of religion or politics. She said the government would reveal more details of the repression when it was appropriate and confirmed that Gaza’s help efforts continued.
At least three restaurants were attacked in Karachi earlier this month, while incidents were reported in Mirpurkhas, Larkana, Rawalpindi, Lahore and Islamabad. CCTV images were used to track several suspects involved in attacks.
Violence in Pakistan occurs as Israeli forces continue their offensive in Gaza after the attack of October 7, 2023 of Hamas, with more than 50,000 informed Palestinians dead and much of Gaza’s civil infrastructure was devastated.
