On Monday, a mob unleashed violence on a KFC outlet in Sheikhupura, leaving a kitchen worker Asif Nawaz dead and prompting national outrage. The attack, carried out under the banner of Palestinian solidarity, was neither protest nor principle. It was murder fueled by misguided fervour. Pakistan’s empathy for Gaza is undeniable: a recent Gallup snap poll found that 75% of its citizens sympathise with the Palestinian people. Our streets have witnessed numerous peaceful demonstrations in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad and our government has repeatedly condemned Israel’s actions. But support for a cause, however just, must never degenerate into cruelty. What we keep overlooking is how these franchises, regardless of their Israeli affiliations, are run in Pakistan by local entrepreneurs and staffed by Pakistani youth. When a mob fires shots or torches a restaurant, the suffering first upends the lives of our countrymen, often earning modest wages to feed their families, before they cross the seas to harm the hidden hands. There’s enough evidence from movements across the Middle East to identify the need for strategic, not spontaneous, boycott campaigns. The global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign offers a non?violent blueprint: targeted economic and diplomatic pressure, clear objectives and accountability. In contrast, Pakistan’s perpetually-in-vogue wave of arson and mob attacks (often led by known fringe elements exploiting public sentiment) erodes civic order and hands the moral high ground to none. Destroying property and endangering lives can never advance human rights; it only breeds fear and division. Who in their right mind would turn a blind eye to our glaring socio-economic realities: youth unemployment exceeding 11%; a declining trust in law enforcement and a deluge of misinformation on social media. Haven’t we witnessed the tragic fallout of mob justice in replete episodes of sectarian attacks? Ergo, our sincere faith and unwavering solidarity with the undeniable suffering of Palestinian brothers and sisters demand much more than empty slogans or destructive outbursts. It is high time that religious leaders, civil society and the media speak with one voice: condemning any violence that targets the innocent. The Palestinian cause, resilient through both tragedy and triumph, will never be served by killing our people. Our compassion must be matched by discipline: strategic boycotts, humanitarian aid drives and diplomatic engagement, not mob rule at a fast?food outlet. *