LAHORE: Heavy rain that was coupled with hailstorm and strong winds lashed Azad Kashmir and upper Punjab early on Thursday damaging cotton and other crops in some areas.

Muhammad Naeem, a farmer of Gujranwala, said wheat crop spread over a stretch of 15km of fields in Wando, Kamonke, was destroyed because of a severe hailstorm last night. He also said there were reports of partial damage to the crop in other area of the division and in Jhelum which received heavy rain.

Pakistan Kissan Ittehad President Khalid Mehmood Khokhar said the exact information about the damage to wheat crop, if any, could be obtained in a day or two.

The Met department said Garhidupatta and Rawlakot in Azad Kashmir were the most affected places as they received 116mm and 114mm of rain.

Muzaffarabad recorded 59mm of rain, Kotli 47, Jhelum 74, Mangla 66, Toba Tek Singh 59, Mandibahauddin 55, Sargodha City 55, Joharabad, Chakwal 51, Gujrat 45, Sialkot Cantt 33,Gujranwala 29, Murree 29, Islamabad 17, Bhakkar 12, Noorpurthal 9, Rawalpindi 9, Lahore City 8, Faisalabad, Skardu 47, Chillas 39, Bunji 30, Astore 22, Gilgit 19,Bagrote 8, Malamjabba19, Dir 13, Kakul 11, Pattan 10, Balakot 9, Cherat 8.

Rain and windstorms kept temperatures low and weather pleasant.

The department forecast some more rain at scattered places in Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, while at isolated places in Malakand, Hazara, Peshawar, Mardan, Kohat, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore and Sargodha divisions, upper FATA and Islamabad in the next 24 hours.-Staff Reporter