Cricket umpire Aleem Dar continued his personal efforts to raise funds for victims of this year’s devastating floods in Sindh, picking up Rs0.16 million from the Lahore Bar Association at a reception hosted in his honour at Aiwan-i-Adl.
Dar was recently crowned the world’s best umpire for a third year in a row by the International Cricket Council.
Speaking at the ceremony on Monday, Dar said his success was down to hard work and honesty, as well as the good wishes of the people of Pakistan. He said every able Pakistani should be working to help the flood victims and he was planning to set up a trust for the needy. He said he recited verses from the Holy Quran before each match he umpired.
(Read: You have done us proud, Aleem)
Asked if he had ever been approached by a bookie looking to fix a match, he said he did not pick up random calls to his phone. Asked by this correspondent for his views on disgraced Pakistani cricketers caught spot fixing, he did not comment.
LBA President Advocate Shehzad Hassan Shaikh presented him the Rs160,000 cash donation. He described the umpire as a lone “ray of hope” in a depressed nation who had “raised the Pakistani flag” in countries where the image of Pakistan was poor.
Correction: An earlier version of the story incorrectly stated the amount as Rs1.6 million. The correction has been done.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 11th, 2011.
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