Over 170 arrested for attacks on fast-food chain
Police have arrested scores of people in recent weeks after more than 10 mob attacks on outlets of US fast-food chain, sparked by anti-United States sentiment and opposition to its ally Israel's war in Gaza, officials said.
Police in major cities, including Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, confirmed at least 11 incidents in which the fast-food outlets were attacked by protesters armed with sticks and vandalised.
At least 178 people were arrested, the officials said this week. A police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said one of the employees was shot and killed this week in a store on the outskirts of Lahore by unknown gunmen. The official added there was no protest at the time and they were investigating whether the killing was motivated by political sentiment or some other reason.
In Lahore, police said they were ramping up security at 27 outlets around the city after two attacks took place and five others were prevented. "We are investigating the role of different individuals and groups in these attacks," said Faisal Kamran, a senior Lahore police officer, adding that 11 people, including a member of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), were arrested in the city.
He added the protests were not officially organised by TLP. TLP spokesman Rehan Mohsin Khan said the group "has urged Muslims to boycott Israeli products, but it has not given any call for protest outside outlets". "If any other person claiming to be a TLP leader or activist has indulged in such activity, it should be taken as his personal act which has nothing to do with the party's policy," said Khan.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
33 minutes ago
- Business Recorder
Israel set to deport Greta Thunberg, other activists, ministry says
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Greta Thunberg and other pro-Palestinian activists have been taken to Tel Aviv airport ahead of their deportation, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday, after the Israeli navy prevented them from sailing to Gaza. Israeli forces boarded the charity vessel as it neared Gaza early on Monday, trying to break through a years-old naval blockade of the coastal enclave, and seized the 12-strong crew, including Swedish campaigner Thunberg. The British-flagged yacht was taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod and the foreign ministry said the activists were transferred overnight to Ben Gurion airport. 'Some of the 'Selfie Yacht' passengers are expected to leave within the next few hours,' the ministry said in a statement. 'Those who refuse to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will be brought before a judicial authority, in accordance with Israeli law, to authorize their deportation.' Consular representatives from the passengers' home countries met them at the airport, it added. The activists had been carrying a small cargo of humanitarian aid, including rice and baby formula, and said they wanted to raise international awareness about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has been devastated by months of war. Israel dismissed the voyage as a pro-Hamas publicity stunt. 'The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the 'celebrities' will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels,' the Foreign Ministry said. Thunberg accused Israel of kidnapping her in international waters. 'I urge all my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible,' she said in a video that was recorded ahead of the Israeli navy action. Israeli forces seize Gaza aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg U.S. President Donald Trump dismissed Thunberg's claim of being kidnapped. 'I think Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg,' he said. 'She's a young, angry person … I think she has to go to an anger management class.' Israel has imposed a naval blockade on the coastal enclave since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007, saying it aims to stop weapons from reaching Hamas. The blockade has remained in place through conflicts including the war, which began when Hamas-led rampaged through southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, by Israeli tallies. Israel's retaliatory offensive against Hamas has since killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in Hamas-run Gaza, and destroyed most of the homes of its 2.3 million residents.
Business Recorder
2 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Israeli navy strikes Yemen's port of Hodeidah, army says
DUBAI: The Israeli navy carried out attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen's Red Sea port of Hodeidah, the army said on Tuesday, in an ongoing campaign that usually involves airstrikes. Houthi-run Al Masirah TV said Israel targeted the docks of Al Hodeidah port with two strikes. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The Israeli army said in its statement that the port is used by the Houthis to transfer weapons. The strikes come after the Israeli military on Monday urged the evacuation of the Houthi-controlled ports of Ras Isa, Hodeidah and Salif. Since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, the Iran-aligned Houthis have fired at Israel and at shipping in the Red Sea, disrupting global trade, in what it says are acts of solidarity with the Palestinians. Israeli air strikes target Sanaa airport in Yemen Most of the dozens of missiles and drones fired towards Israel have been intercepted or fallen short. Israel has carried out a series of retaliatory strikes. Israel has severely weakened other allies of Iran in the region - Lebanon's Hezbollah and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The Tehran-backed Houthis and pro-Iranian armed groups in Iraq are still standing.
Business Recorder
2 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Pakistan Economic Survey: Economic performance misrepresented: PTI
ISLAMABAD: The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday strongly criticised the Economic Survey for the fiscal year 2024-25, dismissing the reported 2.7% GDP growth rate as both embarrassing and manipulated. The opposition party accused the government of misrepresenting the country's economic performance ahead of the annual budget, due to be presented in the National Assembly Tuesday. Speaking at a presser, PTI spokesman Sheikh Waqas Akram said: 'At least 30 million people in Pakistan have fallen below the poverty line. These were the very people brought in by the current regime to fix the economy, yet they ended up extinguishing household stoves instead.' The remarks came shortly after Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb unveiled the Economic Survey for 2024-25, which reported GDP growth of 2.7% and an inflation rate of 4.6% for the outgoing fiscal year. According to the finance minister, the economy had begun to recover after the 2023 fiscal year and was showing signs of stability and consolidation moving into 2025. The survey, released a day ahead of the 2025-26 federal budget, provides an overview of Pakistan's socio-economic performance, including GDP trends, tax revenue, industrial output, and other fiscal indicators. Akram challenged the government's economic claims, drawing comparisons with growth under the PTI-led administration of former prime minister Imran Khan. 'They used to scoff at the 6.5% growth rate achieved under our government. But over the past three years, the average growth has been only 1.5%,' he said. Describing the current figures as 'fake and misleading,' he likened the growth numbers to Form-47 – a reference to alleged rigging during the 8 February general elections. He also questioned the credibility of the Economic Survey for 2024-25, saying it failed to reflect the economic hardships being faced by the general population. 'The people have become economically orphaned under this government,' he claimed. Akram further cited a reported 13.5% decline in the agriculture sector, accusing the government of pursuing policies that were anti-farmer and, in his words, akin to enmity with the nation. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
