ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI: Sunday was the coldest day in the twin cities so far in the winter months this year with the temperature in Islamabad dropping to zero degree Celsius and to two degrees in Rawalpindi, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD)

The PMD recorded a visibility of between 20 and 50 metres in both cities. A Met Office official said fog will persist over the twin cities on Monday and that temperatures are expected to drop even further.

He said continental air was prevailing over most of the country and that wind from the west was expected to enter on Wednesday and Thursday.

Till then he said, cold and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country.

With temperatures plummeting to zero, residents of twin cities indulged themselves with popular foods such as nihari and fish

“Dense fog will continue over the plains of Punjab, the Peshawar division and upper Sindh at night and in the early mornings,” he said.

While the residents of both cities will have to bear the problems that come with the cold and fog for a few more days, food lovers have been making the most of the weather by indulging in their favourite foods.

This cold weather has given food lovers a chance to go to popular eateries to have warm, hearty portions of their favourite foods with fish and soup remaining popular with the cold weather revellers.

Despite the city being swapped in thick fog, residents start flocking to siri paye, nihari and fish shops early in the morning.

An owner of a fish shop in Kashmiri Bazaar, Mohammad Naseer said: “A rush of customers in the mornings is usual in the colder months, but since Friday, people are coming in till well into the afternoon”.

A resident of Chaklala Scheme III, Naeem Ahmed, was waiting for his order of Nihari to take back home.

“Sunday is the only day the whole family is together and I thought I would take home some Nihari for breakfast,” he said, adding that his wife had sent him to the market for fish that she planned to make for lunch. He had stopped for Nihari, he said, because his children had insisted on having some.

Mohammad Zaheer of Rawalpindi said he had brought his family out to breakfast because he could not take them to a park as promised due to the thick fog.

Along with the weather situation, residents of both cities are also faced with one of the worst shortages of natural gas and the pressures remain too low to cook.

Mohammad Munir, who lives in I-10/2 said gas pressure remains low from early in the morning and people were using electric appliances for cooking and heating water.

He said that at times, he was left with no option but to order take away for his family, even tea for breakfast.

“I spent the day looking for a gas cylinder to buy so we can at least cook at home,” he said.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2016