BAHAWALPUR: The local public and the official circles, including the deputy commissioner of Bahawalpur, have expressed resentment towards unveiling ceremony of the trophy of the 15th Cholistan Jeep Rally organised in Lahore by the officials of the Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab (TDCP).

They condemned the move by the TDCP, terming it a joke with the people of Bahawalpur, the venue for this mega sports event.

The local stakeholders described the step as tantamount to mockery of the competing drivers and the local population who were looking forward to participate in annual event held in their area. They said the unveiling ceremony of the trophy was held yearly for the last 14 years and marked the beginning of the rally’s festivities in Cholistan and Bahawalpur.

It may be mentioned that the TDCP had arranged the unveiling ceremony of rally’s trophy in Lahore the other day. Some government officials and noted persons from various segments of society were invited to the function in Lahore but most of them, belonging to the Bahawalpur region, stayed away from the ceremony, terming it an unfair move by the TDCP.

Some local political figures like Tariq Majid Chaudhry and Shafqat Mehmood, the heads of the non-government organisations (NGOs) and other bodies, including the Bahawalpur Press Club, termed unveiling of the trophy in Lahore as trespassing the powers and bypassing the arrangements of the district administration and the locals who were making efforts along with the TDCP to hold the annual show, being held from Feb 13 to 16 at the historic Derawar Fort.

They alleged that with the connivance of the provincial bureaucracy in Lahore, the resources of Bahawalpur were being looted at the expense of the local people who had suffered for long in every walk of life. The actions of the bureaucracy at the provincial capital were the real cause of the sense of deprivation among the residents of the region, which was continuously being ignored in every sphere of life, they alleged.

They raised the question that if the government claimed that the annual jeep rally would project the identity of Cholistan and promote tourism, why the unveiling ceremony of the rally’s trophy was arranged in Lahore. They also criticised the role of the elected lawmakers and the local ministers representing Bahawalpur in Punjab and federal cabinets, saying these politicians always made tall hollow slogans for safeguarding the rights and interests of the region but they did not stand for the protection of the areas’ genuine rights.

Deputy Commissioner Shozeb Saeed whose administration was making elaborate arrangements to make hold the jeep rally successful also expressed his displeasure over the Lahore ceremony held by the TDCP. He said he did not endorse the decision of the TDCP to unveil the jeep rally trophy in Lahore and he did not participate in the unveiling ceremony.

When called, Abid Shaukat, the public relations officer to the TDCP, confirmed that a ceremony to unveil the trophy had been held in Lahore and such a function was being arranged every year before the opening of the jeep rally. However, he added, another ceremony for unveiling the trophy would be held in Bahawalpur on Feb 11.

Published in Dawn, February 5th, 2020

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