Ahsan Raza

Calcutta: Much to his family’s joy, Ahsan Raza smiled on Friday, a first from him since the March 3 terror strike near the Gaddafi which almost killed him.

That was in the afternoon, “around 1.00 pm,” according to a family member, when the umpire was shifted to one of the VIP rooms at the government-run Services Hospital in Lahore.

Till then, Raza was in the ICU, where the conditions (beginning with the airconditioning not working) had been quite awful.

It’s the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), largely insensitive so far, which took the initiative to get him shifted.

“Oh, it’s a relief... Yahan to bahut behtar hai... Rooms such as this are meant for members of the National Assembly or members of the state assemblies... I’m feeling good today,” Raza told The Telegraph, late in the evening.

Speaking on the cellphone of a family member, the 34-year-old father of three girls, added: “It’s because of Allah’s benevolence that I’m talking to you... This is my second life... Yeh doosri zindagi hai...”

Raza, who’d been the fourth umpire in the Pakistan-Sri Lanka Test at the Gaddafi, took bullets in his kidney, diaphragm and lungs during the attack which led to eight deaths.

“It was such an unbelievable security lapse... What I’ve learnt is that, among other things, no sharpshooters were deployed on the highrises around the Liberty roundabout (near the Gaddafi) that morning... The story could’ve been different if the men had been where they were supposed to be... Perhaps, that was our destiny,” Raza pointed out.

Asked whether he’d be tense the next time he sat in the match officials’ vehicle, Raza replied: “Actually, I’ve never been comfortable being driven with escorts and so on... Sab log aap ko dekhne lagte hain... Really, you draw unnecessary attention... Let’s see how I feel... Inshallah, I’ll soon be available for assignments and, one day, I hope to umpire in India...”

Recalling those “10-15 minutes” of mayhem, Raza said: “I think I was the first to shout ‘put your heads down’... (Match Referee) Chris Broad was the one closest to me and, when he ducked, I fell on him... After I got hit, it was his turn to try and save me... Chris tried to stop the bleeding... That act probably made a big difference... I can’t forget him.”

Raza is hoping to be discharged by Sunday/Monday.

The PCB hasn’t announced any compensation as yet, but the umpire informed this paper that the national body would be working out something — apparently, sooner rather than later.

Friday, in fact, brought more good news: The PCB released the match-related payments due to Raza. Before the Gaddafi Test, this year, he’d been the TV umpire during two Pakistan-Sri Lanka ODIs in January.

The family, one understands, received cheques for Rs 2,07,000.