A hero’s last flight in Jhang
Jhang’s first-ever desert rally and cultural festival ended with a story of extraordinary courage. Renowned paraglider Qazi Zafar Khan lost his life on Saturday after his glider caught fire shortly after take-off during the festival — but in his final moments, he saved the life of the 14-year-old boy flying with him.
According to Dawn’s report of the rally’s concluding day, the fire broke out soon after take-off, apparently due to a technical fault. District Information Officer Riaz Marth told reporters that Mr Khan “courageously threw down the 14-year-old child to save his life” from the burning glider, but was himself unable to free himself from the belts in time. He suffered critical burns and later succumbed to his injuries.
The injured boy is being treated in Faisalabad
The teenager, whose life Mr Khan saved, was referred by the Jhang District Headquarters Hospital to Allied Hospital in Faisalabad for treatment. The Jhang district administration sent Mr Khan’s body to his home in Peshawar on Saturday night for his last rites.
Mr Marth said the deceased was an experienced paraglider who held a paragliding licence issued by the Civil Aviation Authority. He added that he and a few officers had also flown with Mr Khan, and that a number of visitors had enjoyed flights with him during the festival before the tragic incident occurred.
A shadow over a successful festival
The paraglider’s death cast a shadow over an otherwise landmark event for the district. The three-day Jhang Thal Jeep Rally, organised by the District Administration of Jhang in collaboration with private sponsors, drew around 100 drivers and riders from across Pakistan and received appreciation from provincial government authorities.
As Jhang News Network reported earlier, Sultan Khalid Hameed Khan of Team Sultan won the main desert category, completing the 78-kilometre track in 51 minutes and 25 seconds, with Mir Nadir Magsi second and Jeyand Hoth third. Mian Rafiq won the prepared category.
Remembering Qazi Zafar Khan
Festivals celebrate a region’s spirit — its land, its people, its courage. Qazi Zafar Khan showed the deepest form of that courage: when fire broke out in the sky, his first thought was the child with him, not himself. Jhang will remember the rally for its winners — but it should remember Qazi Zafar Khan for something greater. He was a hero, and his last flight saved a life.
Sources: Dawn — “Three-day Jhang Thal Jeep Rally concludes” (October 2026).
