New Delhi: Kashmir Solidarity Day or Kashmir Day is celebrated by Pakistan on February 5 to express solidarity with Kashmiris. In 1975, the then Pakistan Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto called for a strike to show solidarity with Kashmiris but in 1994, the day was recycled into Kashmiri Solidarity Day, an official public holiday by the Benazir Bhutto government.
Hyundai & Kia face boycott call over a controversial tweet
To remember this day, Hyundai Pakistan Official taking to Twitter wrote, “Let us remember the sacrifices of our Kashmiri brothers and stand in support as they continue to struggle for freedom.” The post triggered the Indians so much so that netizens on Twitter shared messages asking people to boycott the South Korean company. ‘#BoycottHyundai’ started trending on Twitter.
Later, Hyundai India issued an official statement saying, “India is the second home to the Hyundai brand and we have a zero-tolerance policy towards insensitive communication and we strongly condemn any such view.”
Official Statement from Hyundai Motor India Ltd.#Hyundai #HyundaiIndia pic.twitter.com/dDsdFXbaOd
— Hyundai India (@HyundaiIndia) February 6, 2022
Following this, the sister company of Hyundai, Kia also engaged itself in the controversy where a tweet by Kia Motors Crosswords – Hyderabad on February 5 engaged the netizens. Soon netizens started #BoycottKia trending on Twitter.
What happened with KFC?
Interestingly, netizens taking to Twitter today started sharing an old post of KFC, showing ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day.’ The post was shared by KFC official Twitter handle on February 5, 2021. The post read, “There cravings for freedom are heartfelt,” while “Kashmir Solidarity Day” was written in bold red. They attached a caption that stated, “We stand together this Kashmir Solidarity Day, to realize their right to freedom” accompanied by #KashmirSolidarityDay.
This year, KFC also shared a post on February 5 which read, “Kashmir belongs to the Kashmiris” in bold red whereas the caption read, “You never felt our thoughts and we hope that the coming years bring peace to you!”
See the tweet here:
I appeal to the centre & all the state govts to take serious action against all the @KFC_India outlets and ask them to shut their outlets .
They have no right to do buisness in India. #BoycottKFC pic.twitter.com/6CugpmjI7h— Ashoke Pandit (@ashokepandit) February 7, 2022
The enraged Indian netizens even opined that the company has no right to do business in India. Besides, they also called for action against the company. On the other hand, KFC India taking to Twitter has issued an apology stating, “We deeply apologize for a post that was published on some KFC social media channels outside the country. We honour and respect India, and remain steadfast in our commitment to serving all Indians with pride.”
We deeply apologize for a post that was published on some KFC social media channels outside the country. We honour and respect India, and remain steadfast in our commitment to serving all Indians with pride.
— KFC India (@KFC_India) February 7, 2022
KFC also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is an American fast-food restaurant in business since 1930. The restaurant has its headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky that specialises in fried chicken. It is the world’s second-largest restaurant chain after McDonald’s.
