One Killed Amid Protests Targeting KFC Branches in Pakistan

 

Police have been deployed outside KFC locations in major cities.

One Dead as Anti-KFC Protests Sweep Pakistan; Dozens Arrested

Police in Pakistan have arrested dozens of people following a wave of violent protests targeting KFC outlets across the country, resulting in the death of one man.

The protests, driven by anger over the ongoing war in Gaza, have seen demonstrators call for a boycott of KFC, which they associate with the United States and its ally, Israel.

According to Pakistan’s Minister of State for the Interior, Talal Chaudhry, there have been at least 20 attempted attacks on KFC branches in the past week. Videos circulating on social media show protesters wielding iron rods, storming outlets, and threatening arson. In Karachi, two stores were set ablaze before police intervened.

One video shows a protester shouting, “They are buying bullets with the money you make.”

Chaudhry condemned the violence, stressing that most KFC franchises in Pakistan are locally owned and operated. “The profits go to Pakistanis,” he said.

Tragically, 45-year-old Asif Nawaz, a KFC employee, was fatally shot during a protest in Sheikhupura, near Lahore, on April 14. According to Regional Police Officer Athar Ismail, Nawaz was working in the kitchen when a bullet, fired from over 100 feet away, struck his shoulder and traveled to his chest. Police believe the shooting may have been accidental and confirmed that the suspected shooter remains at large. So far, 40 arrests have been made in connection with the incident.

Protests against Western brands have been on the rise in Pakistan since the Gaza conflict began. Religious and political leaders, including the Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and prominent Sunni cleric Mufti Taqi Usmani, have called for boycotts of companies seen as supporting Israel. However, both have urged their followers to avoid violence.

“Islam does not permit harming others,” Usmani said at the National Palestine Conference on Thursday. “Continue your protest and boycott, but in a peaceful manner.”

Protests have been taking place in Pakistan outside Western brands such as KFC since last year.

A TLP spokesperson denied any role in the KFC attacks, saying the party supports boycotts but has not called for protests at specific locations.

Western brands, including McDonald’s and Starbucks, have faced similar backlash across the Muslim world. In 2023, McDonald’s announced plans to repurchase its Israeli franchises due to a sharp drop in sales linked to boycott campaigns, while Starbucks issued a statement calling for peace and distancing itself from the conflict.

KFC and its parent company, Yum Brands, have yet to respond to the BBC’s request for comment.