by Hibberd Kline
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

LAHORE, Pakistan–On Tuesday, protesters took to the streets for a second day across eastern Pakistan to demand that the government put an end to severe, chronic electricity shortages.

Riots broke out in Karachi, Peshawar, Lahore, Quetta, Faisalabad, Sialkot and Gujranwala leading to the arrest of an estimated 200 people.

In Lahore, hundreds of protestors blocked traffic with burning tires. They also set fire to the Lahore Electricity Supply Company office, a Solid Waste Management truck, a Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) car, and several private cars.

Lahore police attempted to disperse the rioters with baton charges and tear gas, but were stopped short by a barrage of stones. Though senior officials eventually convinced the larger crowds to cease the violence, smaller protests continued into the night in other parts of the city.

However, the worst reported violence occurred in Gujranwala, where over two dozen separate protests were held in response to 20 hours of blackouts. Rioters burned down police stations and clashed with police, injuring 30 people including 14 policemen. Gujranwala police responded by arresting 20 people.

Police in nearby Sialkot reportedly took a more cautious approach by maintaining a safe distance from the angry crowds as they attacked WAPDA offices and injured several WAPDA officials.

On Tuesday, residents staged peaceful protests in many other parts of Pakistan including tribal areas, where residents have recently faced up to 16 hour blackouts every day and have often been forced to sleep on the streets at night as a result.

The power crisis has apparently not only reduced the quality of life for many Pakistanis, but has also started to take a toll on Pakistan’s economy. The industrial town of Faisalabad has been one of the hardest hit. Faisalabad’s commercial activity has practically ground to a halt in the face of unscheduled 16-20 hour long power cuts over the past several days.

The power shortages and cycled blackouts known as “load shedding” are widely believed to be due to mismanagement and corruption on the part of WAFDA and government officials.

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who currently heads Pakistan’s main opposition party, lambasted the government for “sleeping and doing nothing for the last 15 months” while Pakistan has “fac[ed] a severe power crisis.”

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani attempted to divert criticism by blaming the United States, whom he said should help Pakistan to solve its energy crisis.

However, according to the U.S. Embassy the U.S. is currently working with Islamabad to construct and rehabilitate six power plants. The Embassy says that the additional electricity supplied by these plants will resolve 20 percent of Pakistan’s current energy shortage.

The US has already provided Pakistan with billions of dollars in military and civilian aid over the past decade, much of which was intended to help boost the country’s energy sector.

Many analysts attribute Pakistan’s electricity woes largely to the government’s failure to charge sufficient prices for electricity. Analysts generally also note that many consumers, including the Pakistani government, often fail to pay their electric bills at all. Accordingly, it has been suggested that a lack of funds compounded with bureaucratic ineptitude and outdated transmission systems have significantly hindered growth in Pakistan’s energy production capacity.

However, most analysts note that the idea of increasing the price of electricity for consumers is a sore political issue among Pakistani voters.

For more information, please see:

The Express Tribune – All-out Mayhem: Continued Outages Fuel Anarchy – 4 October 2011

The Express Tribune – Electricity Blackouts: 200 Rioters Sent to Jail as Power Protests Continue – 4 October 2011

The Miami Herald – Pakistani Police, Protesters Clash over Power Cuts – October 4, 2011

By: Jessica Ties
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China – Two more Tibetan monks, nineteen-year-old Choephel and eighteen-year-old Khaying, protested Chinese rule through self-immolation on Friday in the Tibetan region of the Sichuan province.

Tsering, who is in close contact with the Kirti monastery, reported that “[t]hey folded their hands in supplicatory gestures and shouted protests against Chinese rule.”

Tsering also stated that, after arriving, the police tried to extinguish the flames and beat the monks as they did so.

Both men were taken to the hospital but the condition of the two men is uncertain due to conflicting reports. While some sources have reported that both of the monks received only minor injuries, others have reported that Choephel has died from his injuries.

For over three years the Kirti Monastery has been an active opponent of China’s rule over Tibet. Most notable was their position at the center of the anti-China protests that occurred in 2008.

Since March, the Kirti Monastery has been responsible for all but one of the seven self-immolations that have taken place in China’s Sichuan province. As a result of these protests, the monastery has become increasingly subject to involvement by Chinese security forces.

Poor treatment of monks by authorities, including allegations of physical violence, combined with general tension related to Chinese rule in Tibet has led other monks to declare a willingness to sacrifice themselves.

According to the director of Free Tibet, Stephanie Brigden, “[i]t is now evident there are many courageous young Tibetans who are determined to draw global attention to one of the world’s greatest and longest-standing human rights crises no matter the cost to themselves.”

Interestingly, Chinese state media did not report the self-immolations and an employee of the public security bureau in the city in which the self-immolations occurred stated that “… [n]othing like that happened…” when questioned about the incident.

Both men are former monks from the Kirti monastery. Choephel was expelled following a self-immolation that occurred in March. Khaying voluntarily left the monastery for unknown reasons although it is known that his uncle was among those sentenced to death by Chinese authorities for his participation in the 2008 riots against Chinese rule and the resulting crackdown by Chinese forces.

Sporadic unrest and violence has erupted in response to China’s rule since 1950 when China sent troops into Tibet and assumed control over the region. Many Tibetans feel that they have been mistreated by Chinese authorities and denied the ability to freely exercise their political and religious freedom.

For more information, please see:

BBC – Tibetan Youths Self-Immolate in Protest at China Rule – 7 October 2011

Forbes – Two Tibetans Set Self on Fire in Latest Protest – 7 October 2011

New York Time – Two Tibetan Teenagers Set Themselves on Fire in Southwest China – 7 October 2011

Radio Free Asia – Two Tibetan Youths Self Immolate– 7 October 2011

BBC – Q&A: China and Tibet – 19 June 2008