The three-day Thal Jeep Rally concluded on Sunday, with organisers naming winners in the desert and prepared categories after racing around Jhang. Sultan Khalid Hameed Khan took the desert title by finishing the 78-kilometre track in 51 minutes and 25 seconds.
Desert and prepared category results
In the desert category, Mir Nadir Magsi finished second. Jeyand Hoth was third and Sahibzada Sultan Muhammad Ali fourth. In the prepared category, Mian Rafiq finished first, Arbaz Khan second and Irfan Mian third. The women’s category contest was still under way when those places were announced.
Jhang District Information Officer Riaz Marth said the rally was organised with private sponsors and had drawn appreciation from provincial government authorities.
Paragliding fire during the cultural festival
Alongside the motorsport programme, a cultural festival included paragliding. On Saturday, the glider of Qazi Zafar Khan caught fire shortly after take-off. He later died of his injuries. The Jhang district administration sent his body to his home in Peshawar on Saturday night.
Mr Marth told reporters on Sunday that Mr Khan was an experienced pilot with a paragliding licence from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the body that licences civil aviation activity in Pakistan. He said officers and passengers had flown with him earlier, and that the fire was blamed on a suspected technical fault.
Paying tribute, Mr Marth said Mr Khan had “courageously thrown down a 14-year-old child to save his life” but could not free himself from the belts. The child was referred from Jhang District Headquarters Hospital to Allied Hospital in Faisalabad for treatment. Quoting Jhang Deputy Commissioner Babar Sahibdin, Mr Marth said the family would receive financial assistance, while noting that nothing could replace the loss.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- Saturday: During the cultural festival held with the jeep rally, Qazi Zafar Khan’s glider caught fire after take-off; he suffered critical burns and later died.
- Saturday night: The Jhang district administration sent his body to Peshawar for last rites.
- Sunday: The three-day Thal Jeep Rally concluded; desert and prepared winners were announced, and the women’s contest was still running.
- Sunday: District officials publicly described the suspected technical fault, the child’s hospital referral, and planned financial help for the pilot’s family.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Jhang mein teen din ka Thal Jeep Rally Sunday ko khatam ho gaya. Desert category jeet Sultan Khalid Hameed Khan ne li, aur prepared category mein Mian Rafiq pehle rahe. Women’s race us waqt abhi chal rahi thi. Rally ke saath festival par paragliding mein aag lagne se Qazi Zafar Khan guzar gaye; unhon ne ek 14 saal ke bachay ko bachaya, lekin khud belts se nikal nahi sake.
