Attacks on fast-food outlets were 'organised': Azma Bokhari

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari on Sunday said a series of recent attacks targeting international fast-food outlets in Pakistan were carried out under an “organised plan".

The attacks, concentrated in Punjab and Sindh provinces, erupted in response to Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Protesters and violent groups vandalised, set fire to, and pelted stones at outlets of international fast-food chains.

A deadly incident in Sheikhupura district resulted in the killing of a restaurant employee after armed men opened fire on April 14.

Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Azma Bokhari said that these incidents were not isolated or spontaneous. “It is important to note that all these attacks are taking place according to a plan in Punjab only,” she said. She alleged that an extremist group was behind the violence, aiming to disrupt peace and stability.

Authorities, Bokhari said, had arrested 149 suspects so far in connection with the attacks. A total of 14 first information reports (FIRs) had been registered, including 71 arrests in Sheikhupura, 33 in Rawalpindi, and others across Lahore, Multan, Gujranwala, Bahawalpur, Sahiwal, Rahim Yar Khan, and Faisalabad.

Bokhari accused political and extremist elements of exploiting religious sentiment for their own agendas. “These people neither love Pakistan nor desire peace, investment, or development in the country. There could also be some foreign hand involved in this,” she said.

The minister urged courts to award exemplary punishments to those responsible and called on clerics to speak out more strongly against the attacks, warning that such violence was harming ordinary Pakistanis rather than supporting Palestinians.

“The 25,000 Pakistanis who work at these fast-food outlets will lose their jobs. Will this benefit the people of Gaza? These are Pakistani businesses, run by Pakistanis,” she stressed.

Bokhari reaffirmed the government’s commitment to peace and order, stating that no one would be allowed to take the law into their own hands in the name of religion or politics. She said the government would disclose further details of the crackdown when appropriate and confirmed that aid efforts for Gaza were continuing.

At least three restaurants were attacked in Karachi earlier this month, while incidents were reported in Mirpurkhas, Larkana, Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Islamabad. CCTV footage was used to trace several suspects involved in the attacks.

The violence in Pakistan comes as Israeli forces continue their offensive in Gaza following Hamas’s Oct 7, 2023 attack, with over 50,000 Palestinians reported killed and much of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure devastated.