Pune: Days after a group of fruit traders in Pune decided to stop importing apples from Turkiye to protest against that country’s support to Pakistan, a trader on Thursday claimed he received a threatening voice message from Pakistan.
Suyog Zende, a trader at the Agriculture Produce Market Committee, commonly known as Marketyard, and some others had said they will not deal in apples from Turkiye after that country criticised India’s recent strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.
“Around 9 this morning, I started getting calls on my phone but did not pick up the phone. Later I received a voice note message. The message contained abuses for India and said we cannot do any harm to Pakistan or Turkiye. I sent a voice note responding to the threats,” Zende told reporters.
Zende along with a group of traders met Joint Commissioner of Police Ranjan Kumar Sharma and apprised him about the calls.
Speaking to PTI, Sharma said the traders met him and informed about the threatening calls. “We have taken cognisance of the matter and our probe is on,” said Sharma.
As part of their protest against Turkiye, traders at Marketyard on Thursday threw apples imported from that nation on the road. According to Zende, traders in Pune import apples, litchi, plum, cherry and dry fruits from Turkiye.
The import of apples alone is to the tune of Rs 1,200 crore, he had said earlier. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday congratulated traders in Pune for adopting a ‘nation first’ stand by stopping the import of apples and dry fruits from Turkiye to protest its support to Pakistan.
“I congratulate all traders who have decided to boycott imports from Turkiye. At this juncture, ‘nation first’ should be our stand. There is a need to teach a lesson not only to those who orchestrated the killings in Pahalgam but also to the countries supporting them. I welcome this organic feeling of ‘nation first’ among citizens,” Fadnavis said.
As to one of the traders receiving a threatening call purportedly from Pakistan, he said the traders need not worry about such threats.
“India is a country that stormed into Pakistan and decimated it. Even The New York Times exposed Pakistan by publishing satellite images of the destruction caused by India. On the other hand, Pakistan could not harm us. There is no need to fall prey to empty threats. The government will provide protection, and everyone should remain firm on the ‘nation first’ stand,” the CM added.
Meanwhile, amid boycott calls for travel to Turkiye and Azerbaijan trending on social media, Nilesh Bhansali, Director of the Travel Agents Association of Pune, said that as responsible citizens who put the country first, they are not promoting travel to these destinations.
