Pakistan expresses concern over ‘grave situation’ in Gaza, Kashmir

ISLAMABAD: A senior minister in Pakistan’s Punjab province on Sunday urged religious scholars to publicly condemn recent attacks on an international fast-food chain, warning that such actions were damaging the country’s image and hurting its own citizens.
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari’s remarks came a day after the federal government said over 150 people had been arrested for attacking the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) outlets amid rising anti-American and anti-Israel sentiment in the country over the war in Gaza.
Protesters have vandalized KFC branches in multiple cities, with at least one employee killed during the unrest, asking people to show solidarity with their Muslim brethren in the Palestinian territory who have been killed in great numbers since the beginning of the war in October 2023.
“I believe that all our forums where respected religious scholars are present should come forward more strongly on this issue and speak up,” the provincial minister said at a news conference in Lahore.
“Attacking these food chains is not helping the oppressed people of Gaza,” she continued. “It is hurting Pakistan.”
Bokhari noted that international franchises like KFC provided jobs to thousands of locals in Punjab and other parts of the country.
“Now tell me this: if the 25,000 Pakistanis working here lose their jobs, will that benefit the people of Gaza?” she asked. “Or have these incidents helped the oppressed people of Gaza in any way? No, it’s causing harm — harm to Pakistan’s image.”
She also referenced the killing of a KFC employee in Sheikhupura, questioning what his fault was.
Bokhari accused “an extremist group” of organizing the attacks and said the government would take strict action against those involved.
On Saturday, Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudry said 12 police cases had been registered against the attackers in Punjab alone, with 142 arrests made. Another 15 suspects had been detained in Islamabad, he added.
“It cannot happen that someone brings investment into Pakistan, gives its people employment, pays 100 percent tax, and also spends on welfare, education and health activities, and then someone attacks it,” he said.
He maintained such incidents would be treated with the same seriousness as militant attacks, adding the government and interior ministry were “available 24 hours” to respond.
Pakistan does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel but has consistently voiced support for the Palestinian cause.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for an immediate end to Israel’s military campaign, while Pakistan’s permanent mission to the United Nations has repeatedly urged accountability for Israeli “war crimes.”

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday launched Pakistan’s second nationwide vaccination campaign against poliovirus, scheduled to be held from Apr. 21-27, as Islamabad struggles to eradicate the disease. 

Polio is a paralyzing disease with no cure and multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine — along with completing the routine immunization schedule for children under five — are crucial to building immunity against the virus.

Pakistan, which has reported six polio cases so far in 2025, has planned three major vaccination campaigns in the first half of the year, with additional rounds scheduled for April and May. The seven-day campaign is going to be the second anti-polio drive to be held this year, and aims to vaccinate over 45 million children against the disease. 

“It is my request to parents all over Pakistan that they help us out in administering polio drops to their children,” Sharif said during a ceremony in Islamabad. 

“Help our teams in the field so that this virus can be eliminated for good.”

Sharif said the government has undertaken stringent security measures in sensitive areas for polio volunteers. He called on authorities to mobilize the public so that they become “soldiers” in the fight against poliovirus. 

Earlier, the prime minister kicked off the anti-polio campaign by administering polio drops to a few children. 

Pakistan’s polio program, launched in 1994, has faced persistent challenges including vaccine misinformation and resistance from some religious hard-liners who claim immunization is a foreign conspiracy to sterilize Muslim children or a guise for Western espionage. 

Militant groups have also repeatedly targeted and killed polio vaccination workers.

In 2024, Pakistan reported an alarming 74 polio cases. Along with Afghanistan, it remains one of the only two countries where polio is still endemic.