BAHAWALPUR: Last year’s champion Zain Mahmood of Bahawalpur maintained his supremacy and successfully defended his title in the first phase of the prepared category race on the first day of the 20th Desert Jeep Rally in Cholistan.

The final result will be officially announced after the completion of the second phase race on the rally’s concluding day on Sunday, Feb 16.

In Friday’s first phase of prepared category race, former champion Nadir Magsi of Sindh was adjudged second, while Faisal Shadi Khel stood third.

According to interim and unofficial results, Zain Mahmood covered 125kms distance up to Jamgarh in 1 hours, 50 minutes and 15 seconds. He was followed by Nadir Magsi, who covered the distance in I hour 52 minutes and 19 seconds, while Faisal Shadi Khel did it in 1 hour, 52 minutes and 25 second. On Friday 50 drivers, including three women, took part in the race.

Nadir Magsi bags second position

The second phase and final of the prepared category race would be held on Sunday, when the results would be compiled. On Saturday, the stock category race would be held.

During the Friday’s race, the jeep of a participant, Junaid, broke down, pushing him out of the contest .

A large number of people visited the venue to watch the races amid tight security measures take by police. On the occasion, the historical Derawar Fort, TDCP resorts and other buildings were illuminated with colourful light. Para-gliders hovering over the venue also amused the visitors.

A cultural show and fireworks have been planned for Saturday night.

GSCWU MOOT: The first two-day ‘International Conference on Emerging Trends in Business, Economics, and IT’ concluded here on Friday at the Government Sadiq College Women University (GSCWU).

According to a press release, the conference organised by the faculty of business and management sciences brought together scholars, industry experts, and policymakers from across the globe to discuss the theme“Integrating artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship to drive sustainable economic growth through innovative business models.”

The conference featured keynote addresses and research presentations from international scholars who shared their insights on the transformative impact of AI and digitisation in financial and economic sectors.

The speakers included Prof Dr Murniati Mukhlisin from Tazkia University, Indonesia, and Dr Saleem Ahmad from Guangdong University of Foreign Studies Guangzhou, China.

Conference chair Prof Dr Amna Noor, Dean of Faculty of Business & Management Sciences, said the conference would prove a landmark, paving way for academic and industrial collaboration on AI’s role in reshaping the global economic landscape.

GSCWU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Shazia Anjum was of the view that the conference laid the foundation for future research and industry partnerships in AI and business innovation.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2025