Dar's the way I like it

Given umpire Aleem Dar's achievements, I request humbly that we rename the Gaddafi stadium after him.

Salman Qureshi September 15, 2011
Transparency International gave Pakistan a rating of 2.3 on its 2010 rankings. This puts Pakistan amongst the top 50 most corrupt nations in the world. Zimbabwe scored better.

Cricket too, which is the most beloved sport, followed passionately by the majority of Pakistanis, has not been spared. Our promising top talent has time and again been caught in rather suspect conditions. The PCB board has also had its own share of stories that make us cringe.

It’s not just the corruption at the governmental and institutional level that bothers me. It is the attitude of the man on the street towards it that worries me even more. The most dangerous aspect of the whole corruption problem, in my opinion, is that people don’t perceive corruption as bad, especially when they are involved in it. I’ve heard with my own ears statements such as:
 ‘It’s OK, who’s not corrupt? It’s no big deal.’

Mind you, this is not a statement made by your poor, illiterate rickshaw driver. This is the declaration made by the supposedly educated middle and upper class of our society.

In the midst of all this, a Pakistani man, Aleem Dar wins the umpire of the Year award for the third year in a row.

The umpire is the ultimate rule of law on the ground. The potential bias of an umpire could hurt any team significantly during a game. It’s a position which offers great temptation to cheat. Yet a man from the most corrupt of nations, from probably the worst run sports board on the planet, from a society that is as crooked as its institutes, wins this award for the third time. Think about it.

Does Aleem Dar not command the highest amount of respect from you given the circumstances he has earned this award in? He has brought pride to our country in the most difficult of times. If anyone needs to be promoted as a role model to our youth, it is him. Our channels should be raining praises on this man. He should be on the billboards of the streets.

Yet, till now he isn’t. Not many people would even recognize him if he walked right past them. And this reflects our current scenario. I request humbly that we rename the Gaddafi stadium after this man. Hell, make him our next Prime Minister. Let’s save this country.

[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF-NIV8bVzU]]
WRITTEN BY:
Salman Qureshi A Masters graduate in International Business from the University of Wollongong Dubai. He is a standup and Improv comedian based in Dubai with an intense interest in reviving and supporting arts in Pakistan. He blogs at: http://salmanzq.blogspot.com/
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

COMMENTS (12)

Shahbaz Younis | 12 years ago | Reply Excellent write-up, Aleem Dar is our national hero he should be highlighted more on print and electronic media, its now time to recognize our national hero's
Jaafer Naqvi | 12 years ago | Reply Hell, make him our next Prime Minister. Let’s save this country. If you had not wrote this line, I must have given you 5/5 on this blog of yours :)
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