RIOTS OVER POWER BLACKOUTS TURN VIOLENT IN MULTAN

UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 001585 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EFIN ENGY ECON PGOV PREL PK SUBJECT: RIOTS OVER POWER BLACKOUTS TURN VIOLENT IN MULTAN ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: In the Punjab provincial city of Multan, protests organized by local textile mill owners to object to rolling blackouts which have forced factories to remain closed, turned violent on April 14. The Power Loom Association in Multan organized a rally of textile workers and day laborers to march to the local offices of Pakistan's power distribution agency. The protest was later joined by residents as it made its way through the city. At least 58 people were injured when security officers at the power company opened fire on the riotous crowd. Several offices and vehicles were burned and protests continued for a second day on April 15. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) Offices of the Multan Electric Supply Corporation (MESC),a division of Pakistan's Water and Power Distribution Authority (WAPDA),were burned on April 15 when angry unemployed textile workers protested worsening power outages and blackouts. Local media report that protestors carried banners pleading for relief from the daily 18 hour blackouts. Protesting the lengthy power outages which have forced their factories to close, the All Pakistan Power Loom Association organized the march. Multan has more than 6,000 power loom units and about 500,000 people depend on these mills for their livelihood. ¶3. (U) Over 2000 strong, the protestors marched to the MESC headquarters and set fire to the building, using office furniture and records to ignite the blaze. When the protestors tried to enter the residential area of the power utility's headquarters, security guards opened fire, injuring at least 58 protestors according to local media reports. Protesters and police clashed for over four hours until the police dispersed the crowd with tear gas. MESC sustained a reported Rs 7.5 million (USD 121,000) in property losses and 28 staffers were injured. Protests continued for a second day on April 15 but remained peaceful. ¶4. (U) MESC is not a power generating company but is allocated a base amount of power from the national distribution company WAPDA. The southern Punjab region is currently being allocated 11,095 megawatts (MW) of electricity and MESC faces daily shortfalls of 634 MW. MESC's electricity allocation is distributed as 46 percent for domestic use, six percent for commercial use, 18 percent for industrial units, 17 percent for agriculture and 13 percent for street lights. ¶5. (SBU) COMMENT: This is the first "power riot" which has broken out thus far in 2008 due to Pakistan's current energy crisis. While we have seen protests over the blackouts in Karachi during the summer of 2007, such actions are more rare in Multan and other areas but illustrate that no region is being spared from the current power outages. While the hot weather has remained at bay thus far, Post expects increased protests and violence as the power crisis continues to impede economic growth and takes its toll on the millions of average day laborers who face unemployment as factories are forced to close down. END COMMENT. PATTERSON