Pakistan&rsquo;s Minister of State for Interior, Tallal Chaudhry, on Saturday, strongly condemned the recent incidents of vandalism at international fast-food outlets in the country and warned that the government would take strict action against the attackers.
Chaudhry told reporters in Faisalabad that the state would deal &ldquo;strictly&rdquo; with anyone involved in damaging public or private property, saying such acts would be treated as &ldquo;no different than a terrorist attack&rdquo;.
Chaudhry made the remark after recent attacks on outlets of international fast-food chains across Sindh and Punjab &mdash; as a form of protest and boycott against Israeli atrocities in Gaza. In one incident, a worker was fatally shot when armed men attacked a restaurant in Sheikhupura on April 14.
Protesters have been urging a boycott of the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) chain, claiming it to be a symbol of the US and its ally Israel.
There were at least 20 attacks on KFC outlets across Pakistan in the past week.
Several videos on social media show mobs armed with iron rods entering KFC stores and threatening to burn them down. In Karachi, two KFC stores were set on fire.
A video also shows a man shouting, &ldquo;They are buying bullets with the money you make.&rdquo;
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&ldquo;These franchises invest over $100 million in Pakistan, employ more than 25,000 people, pay 100% taxes, and buy from local vendors,&rdquo; said Chaudhry. &ldquo;The entire profit stays in Pakistan. What excuse is there for such attacks?&rdquo;
Chaudhry said, &ldquo;The state has a responsibility to protect the lives and properties, whether they are of Pakistani businesses or foreigners investing here.&rdquo; &ldquo;And any such individual who would attack [such outlets] would be dealt with strictly,&rdquo; Chaudhry asserted.
&ldquo;The recent few attacks on KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken); around 20 such incidents took place in various locations across Pakistan,&rdquo; he stated.
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He said 145 people were arrested and 12 first information reports (FIRs) were registered over the attacks in Punjab.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The franchise owner is a Pakistani and a Muslim. The entire management of this [food chain] is from Pakistan. Whatever items they use, they buy them from Pakistani vendors, shopkeepers, and markets. [&hellip;] Its entire profit also remains within Pakistan,&rdquo; he added.
Calling investors Pakistan&rsquo;s &ldquo;crown&rdquo;, Chaudhry reiterated that their protection was the government&rsquo;s responsibility and it was fulfilling it.
Such attacks would be dealt with in the &ldquo;same manner as a terrorist attack&rdquo;, he added.
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The attacks were suspected to be actions under the global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, that targets corporations and institutions in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle.
The BDS movement targets companies that play a clear and direct role in Israel&rsquo;s crimes by targeted boycotts. People boycott all products and services of companies tied in any way to Israel.
Some companies are targeted by grassroots organic boycott campaigns, not initiated by the BDS movement. However, BDS supports these boycott campaigns as these companies, or their branches or franchisees in Israel openly support Israel and/or provide donations to the Israeli military. BDS thus supports grassroots organic boycott action against McDonald&rsquo;s, Coca-Cola, Burger King, Papa John&rsquo;s, Pizza Hut, Domino's Pizza, and WIX. However, KFC is not on the list.
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World | Pakistan: Chaudhry made the remark after recent attacks on outlets of international fast-food chains across Sindh and Punjab — as a form of protest and boycott against Israeli atrocities in Gaza.

Pakistan’s Minister of State for Interior, Tallal Chaudhry, on Saturday, strongly condemned the recent incidents of vandalism at international fast-food outlets in the country and warned that the government would take strict action against the attackers. Chaudhry told reporters in Faisalabad that the state would deal “strictly” with anyone involved in damaging public or private property, saying such acts would be treated as “no different than a terrorist attack”. Chaudhry made the remark after recent attacks on outlets of international fast-food chains across Sindh and Punjab — as a form of protest and boycott against Israeli atrocities in Gaza. In one incident, a worker was fatally shot when armed men attacked a restaurant in Sheikhupura on April 14. Protesters have been urging a boycott of the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) chain, claiming it to be a symbol of the US and its ally Israel. There were at least 20 attacks on KFC outlets across Pakistan in the past week. Several videos on social media show mobs armed with iron rods entering KFC stores and threatening to burn them down. In Karachi, two KFC stores were set on fire. A video also shows a man shouting, “They are buying bullets with the money you make.” Also Read | Putin announces ‘Easter truce’ in Ukraine conflict, orders military to halt fighting “These franchises invest over $100 million in Pakistan, employ more than 25,000 people, pay 100% taxes, and buy from local vendors,” said Chaudhry. “The entire profit stays in Pakistan. What excuse is there for such attacks?” Chaudhry said, “The state has a responsibility to protect the lives and properties, whether they are of Pakistani businesses or foreigners investing here.” “And any such individual who would attack [such outlets] would be dealt with strictly,” Chaudhry asserted. “The recent few attacks on KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken); around 20 such incidents took place in various locations across Pakistan,” he stated. Also Read | Scientists stretch colour palette, identify a new, unseen hue, name it ‘olo’ He said 145 people were arrested and 12 first information reports (FIRs) were registered over the attacks in Punjab. “The franchise owner is a Pakistani and a Muslim. The entire management of this [food chain] is from Pakistan. Whatever items they use, they buy them from Pakistani vendors, shopkeepers, and markets. […] Its entire profit also remains within Pakistan,” he added. Calling investors Pakistan’s “crown”, Chaudhry reiterated that their protection was the government’s responsibility and it was fulfilling it. Such attacks would be dealt with in the “same manner as a terrorist attack”, he added. Also Read | Organised crime in Canada worse than Punjab’s, say kin of Indian student killed in Ontario The attacks were suspected to be actions under the global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, that targets corporations and institutions in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle. The BDS movement targets companies that play a clear and direct role in Israel’s crimes by targeted boycotts. People boycott all products and services of companies tied in any way to Israel. Some companies are targeted by grassroots organic boycott campaigns, not initiated by the BDS movement. However, BDS supports these boycott campaigns as these companies, or their branches or franchisees in Israel openly support Israel and/or provide donations to the Israeli military. BDS thus supports grassroots organic boycott action against McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Burger King, Papa John’s, Pizza Hut, Domino's Pizza, and WIX. However, KFC is not on the list.

Pak minister condemns vandalism of fast-food outlets, warns attackers of strict action

Some KFC outlets in Britain are to remain shut for the rest of the week, the fast-food operator said Tuesday as a supply crisis rumbled on, leaving fans craving a fix of deep-fried chicken.

About 450 of the chain&#39;s 900 outlets remained closed late Tuesday after &quot;operational issues&quot; with new German delivery supplier DHL left them without poultry supplies.

&quot;Each day more deliveries are being made,&quot; said a spokesman for KFC.

&quot;However, we expect the disruption to some restaurants to continue over the remainder of the week, meaning some will be closed and others operating with a reduced menu or shortened hours.&quot;

The crisis erupted over the weekend when KFC switched its delivery contract to DHL, leading to the closure of 700 of its British stores.

&quot;We&#39;ve brought a new delivery partner onboard, but they&#39;ve had a couple of teething problems -- getting fresh chicken out to 900 restaurants across the country is pretty complex,&quot; KFC said.

&quot;We know that this might have inconvenienced some of you over the last few days, and disappointed you when you wanted your fried chicken fix,&quot; the company added.

With some customers apparently suffering withdrawal symptoms, one London police department tweeted: &quot;Please do not contact us about the KFCcrisis -- it is not a police matter if your favourite eatery is not serving the menu that you desire.&quot;

DHL&#39;s managing director of retail, John Boulter, said the delivery firm was working to &quot;return to normal service levels as soon as possible.

&quot;The reasons for this unforeseen interruption of this complex service are being worked on,&quot; he added, although did not give the exact reason for the problem.

&quot;We are committed to step-by-step improvements to allow KFC to reopen its stores over the coming days.&quot;

About 450 of the chain's 900 outlets remained closed late Tuesday

Some KFC outlets in Britain are to remain shut for the rest of the week, the fast-food operator said Tuesday as a supply crisis rumbled on, leaving fans craving a fix of deep-fried chicken. About 450 of the chain's 900 outlets remained closed late Tuesday after "operational issues" with new German delivery supplier DHL left them without poultry supplies. "Each day more deliveries are being made," said a spokesman for KFC. "However, we expect the disruption to some restaurants to continue over the remainder of the week, meaning some will be closed and others operating with a reduced menu or shortened hours." The crisis erupted over the weekend when KFC switched its delivery contract to DHL, leading to the closure of 700 of its British stores. "We've brought a new delivery partner onboard, but they've had a couple of teething problems -- getting fresh chicken out to 900 restaurants across the country is pretty complex," KFC said. "We know that this might have inconvenienced some of you over the last few days, and disappointed you when you wanted your fried chicken fix," the company added. With some customers apparently suffering withdrawal symptoms, one London police department tweeted: "Please do not contact us about the KFCcrisis -- it is not a police matter if your favourite eatery is not serving the menu that you desire." DHL's managing director of retail, John Boulter, said the delivery firm was working to "return to normal service levels as soon as possible. "The reasons for this unforeseen interruption of this complex service are being worked on," he added, although did not give the exact reason for the problem. "We are committed to step-by-step improvements to allow KFC to reopen its stores over the coming days."

Some KFC stores to close all week in UK chicken crisis

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