Re: Lets burn KFC
May those who died rest in peace..
They sacrificed their lives to save others
By Azfar-ul-Ashfaque
KARACHI: The six employees of a fast food centre in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, who lost their lives when the outlet was torched after a suicide attack at a nearby Imambargah on Monday, had a chance to save their lives but instead of doing so they helped their customers and other colleagues in safe evacuation, according to the information gathered from police and company officials.
“We are feeling guilty on the killing of six employees of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). They all were innocent and we feel that we are responsible for their death,” said a top-ranking police official, requesting not to be named.
The official said that there was no doubt that those who carried out the suicide attack were all terrorists but the question was what we called those who torched KFC outlet which resulted in killing of six innocent employees.
Police officials said that soon after the suicide attack unknown persons took to streets and disturbed law and order situation. A group of youths started pelting stones on the nearby KFC restaurant, some of them stormed into the building and started looting cash from customers and snatched jewellery from women customers. They threw petrol on floor and other furniture, set the building on fire and managed to escape.
In the meantime, the ill-fated KFC employees started helping their customers in safe evacuation. They tried to save themselves but it was too late; four of them fainted due to suffocation while other two managed to enter a cold storage of the restaurant, the police official said. They were frozen to death, he said adding: “I pay tribute to them. Had we known that they were inside, we would have tried our best to save their lives. I admit my failure,” said the sombre looking official.
Sindh Home minister Rauf Siddiqui told a press conference on Tuesday that what happened at the KFC was not a reaction of people. “Criminals had stormed there, they started looting people and snatched jewellery from women. It was a painful incident and we have reports that it was carried out deliberately. Some of the criminals involved were arrested but it is premature to comment further,” he said.
“We were not allowed to open fire on miscreants and even yesterday we were directed not to lob teargas on the protestors, as it could aggravate the situation,” said a senior police official.
However, talking to The News, Chief Executive Officer of KFC Pakistan Rafiq Rangoonwala said: “The six employees were trapped in the inferno while saving lives of other people and colleagues. Their death was an outcome of an inhumane act but what they (employees) did, reflected humanity. The martyred were not Shiia or sunni… They all were humans. What one could get by playing with their lives… is this the way to show their anger,” he questioned.
A KFC press release stated: “From the information available at this time, exactly few minutes after the suicide bombing at the Imambargah a mob was at our doorstep. As an automatic response we closed our ground floor shutters to ensure the safety of our customers, expecting that the mob would disperse. Ground floor shutters were broken and gasoline sprayed on the floor and furniture, and torched. Our crew valiantly and without any concerns for their lives tried to ensure that the customers were evacuated through the rooftop and other possible means.”
It said: "We wish to reinstate our factual position, ie we only posses the franchise rights for KFC, but are a completely Pakistani company, in terms of shareholders, owners and employees. Yet we are continually made a target whatever the cause. We employ over 1,500 direct employees and numerous dependents and associated suppliers and vendors and play a critical part in the local economy.