A Pakistani driver was killed when “debris from an aerial interception” fell onto a vehicle in Dubai’s Al Barsha area late on Saturday night, according to Dubai Media Office.
This is the second instance of a Pakistani national losing his life in an attack in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the ongoing war between Iran and the US and Israel.
The war has expanded in the region, with Iran targeting US assets and bases in Gulf countries and Israel carrying out attacks in Lebanon.
The statement by the Dubai Media Office does not specify which projectile was intercepted during Saturday’s incident, or from where it was fired.
The Pakistani embassy in the UAE said its consulate in Dubai was in direct contact with local authorities to assist the Pakistani national’s family.
“We are profoundly saddened to confirm that a Pakistani national lost his life yesterday in Dubai’s Al Barsha area due to falling debris following the interception of an incoming missile,” the embassy said on X.
“Our Consulate General in Dubai is in direct contact with local authorities to assist the family and facilitate the repatriation process as quickly as possible.
“In this hour of grief, we share in the family’s pain and offer our most sincere prayers,” it added.
The war began on February 28, with the US and Israel launching attacks on Iran. The same day, the UAE defence ministry had reported the death of a person due to falling debris after air defences intercepted missiles targeting sites in Abu Dhabi.
Initially, the defence ministry said an Asian national was killed after the debris fell on a residential area of Abu Dhabi.
Later, UAE authorities confirmed that the victim was a Pakistani national, who was identified as Mureed Zaman, a resident of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district.
Zaman had been working in Abu Dhabi for nearly eight years, earning a livelihood through labour work and driving. He had been supporting his family back home.
For its part, the UAE conveyed its “sincere condolences and deepest sympathies to the family of the Pakistani national who lost his life as a result of these attacks, expressing its full solidarity with them”.
“The UAE stressed that the targeting of civilians and civilian objects is unequivocally condemned and strictly prohibited under international law and humanitarian principles,” a statement issued by the foreign ministry said.
