BAHAWALPUR: MPA Nadir Magsi, a former Sindh minister, retained his title after winning the ninth Cholistan Jeep Rally near Derawar Fort, about 75km from here on Sunday after covering the 215km distance in 2.15 hours.

Around 85 drivers and owners, including for the first time two women — one each from Lahore and Karachi, participated in the rally. The Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab Managing Director Habibur Rehman Gilani and some foreign guests flagged off the race on Sunday morning.

The participants raced on the 215km specified track in the vast desert where 13 checkposts had been set up for monitoring the drivers.

Meanwhile, hundreds of visitors, including locals and a large number of tourists, were unable to catch a glimpse of the fort and could only walk around the decaying fort, which was found locked. The crowd wanted to see the fort from inside with its dilapidated walls and floors.

The visitors expressed disappointment and said the fort should have been opened for tourists and visitors during the annual rally.

The area around the fort was decorated with multicoloured flags and banners with slogans welcoming the rally participants and people from across the country.

Strict security measures were taken by hundreds of policemen with assistance from the army, two platoons of Desert Rangers, officials of the district administration, Cholistan Development Authority Bahawalpur and other law enforcement agencies.—Correspondent