ISLAMABAD
\nFor days, Nazar Ali told his daughter-in-law a gentle lie: authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had confiscated all mobile phones and her husband, Mureeb Zaman, would call home as soon as he got it back.
\nIn reality, Zaman, a 40-year-old Pakistani driver who had spent eight years working in the UAE to lift his family out of poverty, had already been killed by missile fragments during an aerial interception over Abu Dhabi amid an escalating conflict in the Middle East.
\nThe conflict began on Feb. 28 after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran following weeks of escalating tensions between Tehran and its regional adversaries. The attacks triggered retaliatory drone and missile strikes by Iran targeting commercial and US-linked interests across the Gulf region, prompting air defense systems in several countries to intercept projectiles in the skies above major cities.
\nAs interceptors met incoming missiles over the Emirati capital that night, falling debris struck Zaman, ending years of work he hoped would secure a better future for his five children in one of Pakistan\u2019s most volatile regions. \u201cI found out the same day because nowadays it is the age of the Internet,\u201d Ali, Zaman\u2019s father, told Arab News during a condolence gathering at his residence last week.
\n\u201cI myself was in the market at that time when I received the news [of his death], but I did not tell the family.\u201d Zaman had been supporting three households in his hometown in Pakistan\u2019s northwestern Bannu district, including the family of his late younger brother. The region, located in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa near the Afghan border, has witnessed a surge in militancy and counterinsurgency operations in recent years.
\nThe 40-year-old was one of millions of Pakistani migrant workers in Gulf countries whose remittances are a vital source of foreign exchange for Pakistan\u2019s fragile economy. He is also among the first reported Pakistani casualties of the recent escalation. Two Pakistani nationals have been killed so far in aerial interceptions in the UAE, while another Pakistani died last week in a similar incident in Iranian waters off Pakistan\u2019s southwestern Balochistan province, according to authorities.
\nZaman\u2019s life abroad was measured in long-distance phone calls and carefully saved earnings, while his wife, four daughters and one son lived in a single room at their family home in Bannu. \u201cHe used to say that \u2018When I come on Eid, God willing, I will build a room for you\u2019,\u201d Ali, his grieving father, said.
\nFor Zaman, working in the UAE represented an escape from the insecurity and economic hardship that have long plagued his hometown, where militant attacks targeting security forces and civilians have periodically disrupted daily life.
\nFamily members said he had hoped to return home for the upcoming Eid Al-Fitr holiday, encouraged by military operations against militant groups in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that had raised hopes of greater stability in the region.
\nAdnan Gul, Zaman\u2019s nephew, remembered his uncle as a warm and optimistic man who often spoke about building a better future for his family. \u201cHis wish was to have a good home, a settled family, and a good, peaceful life,\u201d Gul said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD For days, Nazar Ali told his daughter-in-law a gentle lie: authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had confiscated all mobile phones and her husband, Mureeb Zaman, would call home as soon as he got it back. In reality, Zaman, a 40-year-old Pakistani driver who had spent eight years working in the UAE to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-536429","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n