ISLAMABAD – Renowned clothing line Khaadi issued a clarification regarding a social media campaign on Monday refuting allegations of terminating its employees.

In a statement, one of the largest brands in Pakistan’s thriving apparel industry, rubbished the allegations by social media buffs that it had terminated as many as 32 of the employees without following the due process.

“We categorically confirm that Khaadi has NOT terminated 32 of its employees. Another malicious story being spread and linked to the above is of the apparent attempted suicide of a young female worker. Why anyone should spread this outright lie is beyond understanding, but this just goes to show how some vested interests will stop at nothing to premeditatedly plan to try and cause reputational harm to Khaadi,” said the statement issued by the brand.

“Khaadi is a responsible corporate citizen. As a brand, we have endeavoured to maintain and adhere to the highest standards in all operations-which also includes following best practices with regard to our biggest assets, our employees. Our products are sourced through an array of third party suppliers. Khaadi has always endeavoured to promote our culture and heritage, and promote a positive image of Pakistan internationally, and will continue to do so,” the statement added.

Khaddi appealed to social media users not to share spread news that is pure hearsay, or base comments on speculative news, without fully knowing the facts. It also requested users to opt this policy as a general principle of social media engagement.

The Khaadi controversy

The Khaadi controversy emerged over the weekend when days before the advent of Ramazan, reports emerged on social media regarding alleged firing of employees apparently because they demanded a raise in their salaries.

The clothing brand was lampooned on social media for the treatment it meted out to its employees and afterwards, an assortment of people gathered outside a store of the outlet in Lahore, demanding the reinstatement of workers who were sacked.

The protesters said they were raising the issue because the working conditions in Khaadi were very poor. “Workers are treated like slaves,” reportedly said one of the protesters.