149 arrested across Punjab over violence in name of Gaza: Azma Bukhari

LAHORE: Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari said on Sunday that orchestrated attacks were being carried out in Punjab under the guise of solidarity with Palestinians. She said 149 suspects had been arrested across the province and 14 cases registered so far.

Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Bukhari said violent groups were targeting Punjab’s progress and damaging local businesses, claiming to stand with Gaza.

She questioned the purpose of such acts, asking what benefit people in Gaza were getting from violence in Pakistan.

She said around 25,000 Pakistanis worked at international food chains across the country and those injured or killed in recent attacks were also Pakistanis.

Referring to the deceased as a martyr, she asked what Gaza would gain if thousands of Pakistanis lost their livelihoods.

The minister said Islam is a religion of peace that protects the lives and property of all, including non-Muslims, and no one could be allowed to take the law into their own hands in the name of religion or solidarity.

According to Bukhari, 11 suspects were arrested in three cases in Lahore. One case was registered in Sheikhupura over a fatal incident, leading to 71 arrests.

One case each was registered in Gujranwala and Faisalabad, with eight and an unspecified number of arrests respectively.

In Rawalpindi, three cases led to 33 arrests. Eleven suspects were held in one case in Multan, while six were arrested in a case in Sahiwal.

Two cases in Bahawalpur led to seven arrests and two suspects were arrested in a case in Rahim Yar Khan.

The minister said those inciting violence were neither Pakistani nor friends of Pakistan.

She warned that a foreign hand could be involved in the unrest, aiming to destabilise the country.

She added that the people of Gaza were being martyred, but were not promoting violence or taking up arms.

She said taking lives or shutting down businesses in the name of solidarity would not be tolerated and action would be taken with an iron hand.

Bukhari said peaceful protests and rallies by religious political parties were welcomed and that the government was also participating in such efforts.

She said the prime minister had sent eight consignments of aid to Gaza, with the latest dispatched recently, and had strongly raised the issue at international forums including the OIC and Arab League.

Islamabad Traffic Police issues traffic advisory for today

According to AFP, around 160 people have been arrested after mobs carried out 20 separate attacks on the outlets of a food chain, with one employee shot dead.