Pakistan Link - Letter & Opinion

By Amir Zia

Karachi: Walk out of the airport in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi, and the first thing you notice is a giant McDonald’s billboard and restaurant.

Walk along the seafront, and a giant Kentucky Fried Chicken competes with the golden arches for your custom.

American foreign policy might be unpopular in Pakistan, but US-style food is selling fast, confounding a boycott call from the country’s hardline parties.

Outside the restaurants, burly private security guards brandish pump-action rifles to make sure their diners are safe.

Inside, girls in tight jeans and T-shirts queue next to women shrouded in head-to-toe veils. Bearded men in the traditional Pakistani shalwar kameez, the baggy shirts and trousers worn by tens of millions here, rub shoulders with youngsters in the latest Nike trainers.

“I am not bothered about politics, or boycotts,” said teenage college student Nadra Osman, as she ordered a chicken burger, French fries and Pepsi at a KFC restaurant in Karachi. “We are here because we enjoy this stuff.”

ADDING INSULT TO INJURY: Islamic hardliners have grown steadily more furious with the United States since the 2001 war in Afghanistan. When US and allied forces invaded Iraq this year, they mounted a renewed public campaign against American and British goods. “It is a Western cultural invasion,” said Munawar Hasan of Jamaat-e-Islami, one of the country’s most powerful political parties. “Their presence is an ideological issue for us. A portion of each rupee spent on buying their products is used against Muslims -- to kill Palestinian children.”

Adding insult to injury, critics say, is the uniform Pakistani sales staff are forced to wear.

“They are imposing American culture. Even women employees are required to wear trousers which is against Islam,” said Abdul Hadi, a teacher at Jamiat-ul-Uloom-il-Islamiyyah Banuri Town, one of the biggest seminaries in Karachi. “Now women want to appear like men and men like women.”

It is an argument which does not impress the waitresses themselves, young women from low income families whose jobs have given them a new sense of freedom and independence.

Salaries of between 8,000 and 25,000 rupees a month ($140 to $430) are attractive in a country where the average annual income is below $500. “When I got a job at McDonald’s my parents opposed it, because I was required to wear pants instead of the shalwar kameez,” said one saleswoman, who declined to be named.

“In our family, women hardly go out for work let alone wear pants. But then I stood up, because here we get decent pay and the working environment is good.”

DOUBLE DIGIT GROWTH REWARDS THE BRAVE: Industry officials say the fast food business is growing at double digit rates in Pakistan annually.

Rafiq Rangoonwala, chief executive officer of the Cupola group which has the Pakistani

franchise for KFC, said sales briefly dropped five to 10 percent during the Afghan and Iraq wars, but soon bounced back.

KFC, which came to Pakistan in 1997, now has 26 restaurants in nine cities, while McDonald’s has 20 in four cities. Other chains like Pizza Hut and Subway have also expanded rapidly in recent years.

“We see a lot of potential in the fast food business in Pakistan,” Rangoonwala said. “I feel we have just scratched the surface.”

But with the potential rewards come risks.

Pakistani police say they foiled a plot to attack McDonald’s and KFC restaurants when they arrested a group in Karachi last year.

A bomb did explode outside one KFC restaurant in December 2001 without causing injuries, and mobs attacked several KFC restaurants in Karachi earlier this year.

Businessmen like Rangoonwala lament the hardline actions, which they say only harm ordinary Pakistanis.

Cupola, a Pakistani company with businesses throughout the Middle East, bought the KFC franchise in Pakistan in 2001, but this year decided against expanding its operations here.

“I proposed fresh investment in Pakistan to our board,” Rangoonwala said. “But the proposal was shot down because other countries offered risk-free profits.”

“There is always something (negative) going on here. This country has lost millions of dollars worth of investment,” he said. “They need to understand the consequences of this madness. Sanity must prevail.” (Courtesy Reuters News Service)


	American Food Sells Fast in Pakistan By Amir Zia Karachi: Walk out of the airport in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi, and the first thing you notice is a giant McDonald’s billboard and restaurant. Walk along the seafront, and a giant Kentucky Fried Chicken competes with the golden arches for your custom. American foreign policy might be unpopular in Pakistan, but US-style food is selling fast, confounding a boycott call from the country’s hardline parties. Outside the restaurants, burly private security guards brandish pump-action rifles to make sure their diners are safe. Inside, girls in tight jeans and T-shirts queue next to women shrouded in head-to-toe veils. Bearded men in the traditional Pakistani shalwar kameez, the baggy shirts and trousers worn by tens of millions here, rub shoulders with youngsters in the latest Nike trainers. “I am not bothered about politics, or boycotts,” said teenage college student Nadra Osman, as she ordered a chicken burger, French fries and Pepsi at a KFC restaurant in Karachi. “We are here because we enjoy this stuff.” ADDING INSULT TO INJURY: Islamic hardliners have grown steadily more furious with the United States since the 2001 war in Afghanistan. When US and allied forces invaded Iraq this year, they mounted a renewed public campaign against American and British goods. “It is a Western cultural invasion,” said Munawar Hasan of Jamaat-e-Islami, one of the country’s most powerful political parties. “Their presence is an ideological issue for us. A portion of each rupee spent on buying their products is used against Muslims -- to kill Palestinian children.” Adding insult to injury, critics say, is the uniform Pakistani sales staff are forced to wear. “They are imposing American culture. Even women employees are required to wear trousers which is against Islam,” said Abdul Hadi, a teacher at Jamiat-ul-Uloom-il-Islamiyyah Banuri Town, one of the biggest seminaries in Karachi. “Now women want to appear like men and men like women.” It is an argument which does not impress the waitresses themselves, young women from low income families whose jobs have given them a new sense of freedom and independence. Salaries of between 8,000 and 25,000 rupees a month ($140 to $430) are attractive in a country where the average annual income is below $500. “When I got a job at McDonald’s my parents opposed it, because I was required to wear pants instead of the shalwar kameez,” said one saleswoman, who declined to be named. “In our family, women hardly go out for work let alone wear pants. But then I stood up, because here we get decent pay and the working environment is good.” DOUBLE DIGIT GROWTH REWARDS THE BRAVE: Industry officials say the fast food business is growing at double digit rates in Pakistan annually. Rafiq Rangoonwala, chief executive officer of the Cupola group which has the Pakistani franchise for KFC, said sales briefly dropped five to 10 percent during the Afghan and Iraq wars, but soon bounced back. KFC, which came to Pakistan in 1997, now has 26 restaurants in nine cities, while McDonald’s has 20 in four cities. Other chains like Pizza Hut and Subway have also expanded rapidly in recent years. “We see a lot of potential in the fast food business in Pakistan,” Rangoonwala said. “I feel we have just scratched the surface.” But with the potential rewards come risks. Pakistani police say they foiled a plot to attack McDonald’s and KFC restaurants when they arrested a group in Karachi last year. A bomb did explode outside one KFC restaurant in December 2001 without causing injuries, and mobs attacked several KFC restaurants in Karachi earlier this year. Businessmen like Rangoonwala lament the hardline actions, which they say only harm ordinary Pakistanis. Cupola, a Pakistani company with businesses throughout the Middle East, bought the KFC franchise in Pakistan in 2001, but this year decided against expanding its operations here. “I proposed fresh investment in Pakistan to our board,” Rangoonwala said. “But the proposal was shot down because other countries offered risk-free profits.” “There is always something (negative) going on here. This country has lost millions of dollars worth of investment,” he said. “They need to understand the consequences of this madness. Sanity must prevail.” (Courtesy Reuters News Service)
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