MUZAFFARGARH: The qualifying round of the Thal jeep rally completed on Friday, wherein Raja Muhammad Saeed covered a distance of 2.8 kilometres in the shortest time in the prepared category.

As many as 115 vehicles participated in the qualifying round. Mr Saeed covered the distance in one minute and 34 seconds. Zain Mahmood was on second number, followed by Nadir Magsi.

In the stock category of the qualifying round, Syed Asif Imam finished first in one minute and 39 seconds, followed by Aqeel Ahmed and Muhammad Bilal Chaudhry.

A car (No 102) overturned during the qualifying round but the driver, Muhammad Shoaib, remained unscathed.

Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab Managing Director Agha Muhammad Abbas inaugurated the event. Women participants included Rukhshanda Jabeen, Rubab Sultan along with Bushra Sultan, Palusha Hayat along with Maria Jabbar and Mahim Shiraz.

Speaking to the media, Sahibzada Sultan said the jeep rally participants had got a lot of love from the people of south Punjab. He said the Thal track was quite challenging and it’s a test of a driver’s skills more than the power of vehicle. He said he could not prepare well for the event as he was abroad but still, he would try to win.

He said Pakistan had the best deserts and international racers wanted to come here. He demanded that the government should facilitate a one-window operation to bring renowned racers and their vehicles.

At Head Muhammadwala, a sand track of about three kilometres has been prepared for the qualifying round. On direction of DPO Ahmad Nawaz Shah, more than 1,000 policemen have been deployed for the security of the participants as well as the visitors.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2022