TOUCHING THE BOUNDARIES

Cholistan Jeep Rally is the Pakistan Largest Motorsports event in the country. It takes place in the center of the glorious cholistan desert. It is an off-road rally style racing. It is distinguished from the usual circuit racing as it is in a form of Checkpoint racing. It is a form of rally raid. It takes place in the Cholistan near the Derawar Fort 100 Km from the city of Bahawalpur.

Each year more than 100 drivers take part in this event. Driver spends a lot of time on their cars to make them eligible for the rugged off-road. The cars are Turbo charged and modified to international standards. The fight to win what is considered the biggest prize in Pakistan Motorsports. The track spans more than 470 Km and is covers a huge part of the cholistan desert.

This event not only attracts local Motorsports enthusiasts and participants but also foreigners. Drivers and motorsports enthusiasts from around the world come to watch and participate in this one of a kind event. This event has brought cholistan desert and derawar fort to the eyes of the world. The 9th century marvel was on the verge of collapse but because of the event the area was promoted and now work is being done to restore the standout attraction of the desert. The Derawar fort was also connected to other forts in Cholistan through a network of underground tunnels. It is also said to be of a long underground railway tunnel that is connected to Sadiq Ghar Palace.

Cholistan rally in Pakistan is organized by TDCP. The first rally was held in 2005 and it is one the most watched and anticipated event in the country. Every year more than 100,000 people visit the desert for the event. This event is held in the heart of the magnificent desert.

There are three categories of which 2 are divided in to 4 more subcategories. The Prepared category is the most watched category as it include highly modified cars. The other category is Stock. This category was first introduced in 2014. It includes only stock cars which have not been modified. The management also recently introduced a category for women this was mainly because the women in Pakistan have gained interest in this sports. Before the introduction of this category they used to participate in the other categories but due to the rise of female racers a separate category was introduced.

There are a few requirements that need to be fulfilled if a person want to participate in the event. Firstly he would need 4×4 car. The car should be having a roll cage and emergency supplies. Fulfilling these requirements would lead them to participate in the event in the stock category.

The rally starts at Derawar fort and the participants would pass all the historical forts is the desert. The Nawan kot fort, Dingarh Fort, Maujgarh fort, Marot fort and would reach back at Derawar to finish the rally.

Derawar

Bijnot Fort

Nawankot Fort

Nawabs Mosque

This event is not only anticipated by the driver but also by the local community. This event brings economic opportunities for the locals in the area. Locals await all year-long for this event.

The night in cholistan during the event is beautiful. The sky is covered with firework at night. There is an annual festival at the end of the event where you can see the culture and heritage of the cholistan desert. There are dances and singing.

This is not the only Motor sports event that takes place in pakistan. After the the first cholistan rally different events are being organized to promote tourism and racing. These events are organized around the country from the skardu in the north to gwadar in the south to promote tourism and show a diffrent side of Pakistan.