ISLAMABAD: The recent unprecedented hailstorm in the federal capital has brought a boon not only to the spare parts dealers of Islamabad but also to the dealers in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, since the local markets had run out of stock for windscreens and lights.

However, this situation has put the car owners in a tough spot, who have to pay extra for repairs while also compromising on the quality of products.

At the same time, the freak weather eventhas alsoexposedloopholesinthe insurance sector of the country, as most of the victims have not been compensated by the companies.

While no official data has been compiled by the authorities, the mechanics and the spare parts dealers in the twincities estimate that more than 1,000 vehicles suffered minor or major damage due to the hailstorm.

On April 16, all areas of Islamabad city in the foothills of Margalla witnessed an unexpected hailstorm, when hailstones aslarge asgolfballs(around 1.5 inches in diameter) hammered the city, damaging cars and other types of property.

Fearing the reoccurrence of the same weather pattern, most car dealers are now keeping their vehicles parked on the roads covered with mats and other material. The hailstorm left a trail of damage in its wake, mostly damaging vehicles.

In a rare spirit of corporate solidarity, the new auto entrants in the Pakistani market announced generous repair discounts for the affected vehicle owners.

Social media campaigns were launched by carmakers Haval, Changan, Hyundai, MG, JAC, BYD, Kia, and Audi, announcing exclusive after-sales service packages.

Meanwhile, the key existing players in the auto sector Suzuki and Honda did not offer any suchincentive.

Some companies even floated discounts of up to 50 per cent on labourchargesand10 percenton spare parts, including the windscreens, rear screens etc, exclusively for the victims of the hailstorm. However, in the open market, the prices of spare parts shot up. Not just the parts, but the labour cost also significantly increased.

`Our Honda Civic suffered from a shattered windshield and multiple dents in the E-11 area,` said Zawar Hussain, resident of F-11 Islamabad, adding, `The mechanic was demanding Rs700,000 for the complete work we have decided to rest the car for a month till the market cools down.

Incidentally, even the mechanics were victims of exploitation by the spare parts dealers, who raised the average rate by Rs6,000 to 8,000 per windscreen. Muhammad Asif, a mechanic in G-8, said that he tried to call one dealer in Faisalabad as well as one in Peshawar and they told him that all windscreens had been bought by cardealersinIslamabad.`Windscreens are the least sold items in Islamabad during normal days,` he said, adding that for this reason, the market is being manipulated.

Besides the expensive parts, the vehicle owners also became victims of deceptive marketing, with locallymade products being billed as imported ones.

`But the issue is what can we do I cannot drive around with a shattered windscreen and even if I do not agree with the quality, what can anybody do in these circumstances?` said Khayyam Siddiqui, a corporate employee in Islamabad.

The victims claimed the insurance companies were trying to delay the assessment and final damage reports.

`It seems like they will conclude that the damages would be categorised under `force majeure clause` like they do to the victims of riots and terrorism,` said Zamir Hassan, another corporate employee in Islamabad.

More than 40 insured vehicles of the same company were damaged and negotiations with the insurer were underway.

Meanwhile, Dr Zaheer Babar, spokesperson for the Met office, said that the unusual situation developed due to prolonged dry and hot conditions in the area and the heat wave in the plains, which resulted in hailstorms. `Such conditions result in the development of Cumulonimbus clouds, which create hailstones,` Dr Babar said.