A Pakistani limousine chauffeur in the UAE won 100,000 dirhams in the UAE Lottery and spent it on surgery and his son's wedding. Then he went back to work.
Abdul Salam Muhammad Ashraf, from Sahiwal in Pakistan, was named in reports by Khaleej Times and Gulf News published on 3 August. Both outlets described the same outcome. The six-figure prize went to family needs rather than personal spending, and he has kept his job as a limousine chauffeur in the Emirates.
"I didn't buy anything for myself," he told Gulf News.
For many expatriate workers in the UAE, that choice will read as familiar rather than surprising. A prize of this size is large enough to clear the biggest one-off costs a family carries, but not large enough to replace a steady income. Medical treatment and weddings sit near the top of that list, and a single win can absorb both at once. Many expatriates also support relatives back home, so big family expenses are often planned years in advance around what can be saved.
What is known about the win
The reports do not say which UAE Lottery game or draw produced the prize, when the winning draw was held, or how Abdul Salam learned he had won. No winning numbers appear in the coverage available, and neither outlet describes the moment he found out.
What is on the record is the amount, Dh100,000, and the fact that the prize was his to spend. For context: the UAE does not levy a personal income tax, so lottery prizes are generally received as advertised. The reports do not mention any deductions or fees in this case. Prizes are typically claimed by the ticket holder through the operator's published process, and winners usually become public only when they agree to share their story.
Where the money went
Two family expenses absorbed the winnings. One was a surgery. The reports do not say whose surgery it was, what condition or procedure it involved, or what it cost. The other was his son's wedding. Again, the coverage gives no date, no location, and no breakdown of how the prize was divided between the two.
For context: weddings and hospital bills are among the largest single expenses many families face, and households often plan for them over years. A six-figure sum can settle both at once. That is what made this win consequential, even though it sits far below the headline jackpots that lotteries advertise.
Why he is still driving
Neither report explains his reasoning in detail, but the outcome is plain. The win did not end his working life. He continues to work as a limousine chauffeur, and the coverage gives no indication that the money has brought forward any plan to return to Sahiwal.
His wider family situation in Pakistan, and how long he has worked in the UAE, are not described in the reporting available. What he has said publicly is limited to the essentials: the money went to his family, and nothing was spent on himself.
What this means: for most working residents, a lottery win of this size is not a retirement plan. It is a chance to settle the bills that matter most, an operation, a wedding, and then carry on. By both accounts, that is exactly what Abdul Salam did.
💬 If you won Dh100,000 tomorrow, would you keep working or take a break?