MUZAFFARGARH: On the first day of the 8th Thal Jeep Rally, a racer and his navigator were injured as their car crashed at midpoint near Chobara, 10km from Layyah on Thursday.

The injured were identified as Syed Zaheer Shiraz Shah from Sindh and his navigator Ali Hussain. Their high-speed vehicle overturned during the track review. After the accident, both of them were given first aid and shifted to a private hospital in Multan.

Talking to Dawn, Layyah Deputy Commissioner Khalid Parvaiz said it was not a race day and the racers were just checking the track when the accident happened.

Multan DC retired Capt Rana Rizwan Qadeer said Shah and his companion were admitted to the Mukhtar A Sheikh Hospital. He claimed that he inquired after them and both of them were in stable condition, adding that they would be discharged from the hospital soon. He denied the rumours on social media that Zaheer Shiraz Shah was the son of former chief minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah.

Nadir Magsi dissatisfied with security arrangements, says village children throw stones at vehicles

Zaheer Shah is participating in the jeep rally for the first time.

The first phase of the four-day 8th Thal Jeep Rally has been completed. In the first phase, the registration, inspection and tag numbers of the vehicles of more than 105 jeep racers from all over the country were allotted. A large number of fans are arriving in the desert to watch the annual event.

Renowned jeep racer Mir Nadir Magsi expressed dissatisfaction with the arrangements and security measures taken for the rally by the administration in Muzaffargarh.

Talking to the media, he said he had asked the administration to check the track area near the villages where sometimes children are found playing near the track while sometimes they throw stones at the jeeps.

He said he had asked the administration to check the area near the track, which was not done.

Magsi has won the rally two times. On Thursday, a large number of his fans reached the desert area to see him and take selfies with him.

On the other hand, District Police Officer Syed Hasnain Haider reached the spot and checked the security arrangements.

“Six hundred police officials, including three DSPs and four inspectors, have been deployed for the security and all security arrangements have been completed for the rally,” he said.

The preparations for the rally have been made with coordination of the district administration and tourism department. Twenty-four police pickets have been established along the track, the DPO said and added that separate security arrangements had been made for all the events of the jeep rally.

According to the focal person, Additional Deputy Commissioner Dr Abida Fareed, the jeep rally track covers three districts of Muzaffargarh, Layyah and Kot Addu. It starts from Head Muhammadwala and ends at the same area while middle point of track is in tehsil Chobara, district Layyah. She said on Thursday, the maintenance and monitoring of the track was completed by the district administration and vehicles did practice on the track.

The registered vehicles will be included in tomorrow’s qualifying round and the total track of the qualifying round is three kilometers.

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2023