VZCZCXRO9923
RR RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHIL #1585 1071717
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 161717Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6531
INFO RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC 4180
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 3123
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 7710
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA 2966
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI 9556
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE 5305
RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR 4034

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