May 12, 2002	Sunday	Safar 28, 1423

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LAHORE, May 11: Major parts of the country remained in the grip of intense heat on Saturday.

Sibbi was the hottest place with a maximum temperature of 50.6 degrees C which was followed by 49.5 degrees in Nawabshah.

Almost all cities in the Punjab recorded above 40 degrees C maximum temperature and the local Met office said there was no chance of any immediate relief.

The maximum temperature in Lahore was 44.2 degrees C. This was followed by hot winds which forced people to remain indoors.

Lahore has been recording above 40 degrees C temperature since May 3, adding to the miseries of the people already facing shortage of water and frequent power breakdowns.

The maximum temperature in Bahawalpur was 48 degrees C, Bahawalnagar and Khanpur 47.2, Multan and Rohri 47, Faisalabad 44.3, Rawalpindi 42.8, Islamabad 41.8, Muzaffarabad 42.7 and Murree 29.5 degrees C.

The Met office forecast hot and dry weather with chances of dust-raising wind in Lahore and elsewhere in the Punjab in the next 24 hours. It will remain partly cloudy in Rawalpindi, Malakand, Kashmir and the Northern Areas but there is no chance of rain.