-Photo by Reuters

IT is not often that all-rounder Abdur Razzaq escapes mention in the description of a scene he is present in. But here was Razzaq in the news picture last week, his participation in collecting donations in Lahore for Sindh's flood victims going rather unnoticed.

It was a former cricketer with just a handful of first-class wickets and a batting average of around 11 per innings who hogged the limelight. Aleem Dar has this habit of eclipsing national players without too much fuss. His latest fund-collection drive has added to his growing reputation as a Pakistani icon who not only generates envy but also commands respect.

The growth has been smooth, given Dar's own showing in contrast to the erratic course Pakistani sport has taken in recent years. It was always possible for our national cricketers to somehow reach and win the final of an international event. But in recent times there has been a second option to ensure the Pakistani presence in a final. Pakistanis have been wooing Aleem Dar to reach a final as umpire and then hold his own against appealers beseeching him with the most impossible of demands.

Happily, that is not where the story ends. Dar's featuring in an international big game is celebrated as a national honour. Data is proudly shared to show his spotless decision record during a tournament, and the decision review system that he himself favours is deemed a bit of a waste with him calmly placed behind the stumps.

On screen, he has been seen swallowing a lump or two followed by his customary, assured and, for his fans, reassuring shake of the head, but the only time he has appeared ruffled, a bit overawed and embarrassed was when they were placing that crown on his head in Lahore a few months ago. He had just returned from one of his triumphant tours.

At the back of all this appreciation, there is definitely this feeling of having been vindicated. Berated as a nation of cheats, and not just because of some of our sporting feats, Dar in the role of an adjudicator, a fair judge, provides Pakistanis with a genuine reason to be proud. Just as his journey and the vindictive, patriotic Pakistani cheers it has been accompanied by highlight a dilemma that this country's highly confused inhabitants are faced with.

Fed on conspiracy theories that speak of plots to malign Pakistan and its citizens, it is a bit of a surprise how we hail Aleem Dar's ascent as a certified, most-respected international umpire for the third year running. He is viewed as the epitome of the goodness that we Pakistanis possess and which we have had few occasions to flaunt. The kind of struggle that this straight-thinking judge has gone through and the ditches he has avoided suggest, however, that it has not at all been a walk in the park for him.

It is obvious that the man we are keen to celebrate today has a vision that has sustained him in life beyond the 22-yard cricket pitch. There have been moments where he could have cried out 'conspiracy' if he so desired. But unlike a large number of his countrymen he chose to stick to his profession.

There was this incident in which Aleem Dar was punished by the International Cricket Council for his failure to interpret the law rightly in a World Cup final. Because of the umpiring blunder, the game, according to many, had been turned into a farce. Yet, the ICC realised what an exceptional talent Dar's was and gave him a chance to redeem himself; Dar understood his mistake and he understood that he needed to get over the occurrence and re-prove himself as the best. The endorsement came with the best umpire title that is given on the basis of recommendations from captains of all Test-playing countries.

He is one upright Pakistani who had chosen to take on the international challenge by engaging with the world at large, rather than dismissing it as an enemy, and we today are all the more proud due to that honourable engagement. In more recent times, on the basis of his international standing, Aleem Dar managed to emerge unscathed from an incident where his judgment had been questioned by Ricky Ponting, a representative of cricketing superpower Australia.

Our own little evolution is tagged intrinsically with an emulation of the civilised West and its gentlemanly games. We can either reject it outright or, given our reputation today, we have to go that extra mile to restore our credentials. It is quite clear that a rejection would be next to impossible at this late stage of our journey and we are stuck with the world at large.

This vital fact about our being is reflected in any number of happenings around us. Take the politics since the holding of the recent All-Party Conference focusing on western suspicions of Pakistan's role in Afghanistan. The frankest our politicians have been capable of is when they say that there must be some truth to the complaints since so many international observers are making them.

Why would someone like Maulana Fazlur Rahman, whose madressah and party have been closely associated with the Afghan conflict, need to hide behind these international observations at such a crucial moment? He says the matter should be probed since so many in the outside world are viewing us suspiciously and he does so because our chosen route to all kinds of development runs through the powerful western capitals.

This is precisely why the maulana is seen lobbying for prime minister's office with the Americans in WikiLeaks and why most other significant initiatives in Pakistan, such as the lawyers' movement, so diligently sought international favour for success.

There is no running away from the game. If the answer lies in patiently learning to play it as well as others do then Aleem Dar should serve as a useful role model.

The writer is Dawn 's resident editor in Lahore.