KARACHI: Saman*, a resident of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was at her office when a loud explosion occurred in Abu Dhabi — a retaliatory strike by Iran towards US-Israel strikes on its territory. Her two youngsters have been at dwelling, whereas her husband was additionally at work.
Her office was removed from the location of the explosion, so she didn’t hear it. Nonetheless, she remained in denial that such an incident may happen in a secure and safe nation just like the UAE.
“Neither did I hear the sound of the primary explosion, nor did I focus on it because it was one other tremendous busy day at work,” Saman advised Daybreak, including that her colleagues, who have been stunned by the incident, shared the information along with her.
Whereas nonetheless in denial, she instantly checked the information and discovered in regards to the incident. Her focus then shifted from the occasion to the security of her youngsters and her husband.
“My husband checked on my security by messages, whereas my daughter, who was terrified by the incident, despatched me a textual content. We quickly spoke over the cellphone,” she mentioned.
Her household had combined reactions to the primary explosion. Her daughter, who was terrified by the incident, stored weeping for 2 days, whereas different relations have been additionally afraid however recovered quickly.
Recounting the day of the incident, Saman mentioned folks didn’t panic regardless of the weird state of affairs in a rustic thought-about one of many most secure on the planet. “No emergency was introduced to close down places of work forward of time, nor was there a rush on the roads as folks headed dwelling. We accomplished our work on time and returned dwelling.”
Within the early days of the struggle, Saman feared the explosions, questioning once they would possibly happen and the way damaging they may very well be. She couldn’t sleep at evening as a consequence of fixed security alerts issued by the federal government.
“One evening, residents throughout a lot of town have been on the streets as alarm bells rang and loud explosions have been heard,” she recalled. She added that the loud security alarm was inflicting panic, so the official alarm tone was modified at evening to cut back stress and concern.”
She consistently feared for the security of herself and her household, dashing to achieve a secure place every time an alert was introduced.
Over time, Saman has change into “desensitized,” saying that all the things within the nation now operates underneath alerts and security alarms.
The Nationwide Emergency Disaster and Catastrophe Administration Authority (NCEMA) of the UAE began issuing alerts and alarms to the residents since day one of many struggle, a Khaleej Occasions report mentioned.
LovinDubai, an Instagram account adopted and trusted by hundreds of thousands of Pakistani expats within the UAE, described the alert “not as an SMS” (brief messaging service), explaining that the Ministry of Inside “makes use of a high-priority cell broadcast system built-in into the nation’s telecom grid.”
The system works by native cell towers that broadcast the sign to each machine of their vary. Each mobile phone receives the sign robotically, and the system doesn’t require a cellphone quantity or contacts to operate.
It’s designed to bypass cellular settings, the Instagram publish mentioned, including that even when the cellphone is on silent or offline, the message remains to be acquired.
It additional mentioned that, not like a WhatsApp message that sits within the inbox, these are force-open alerts which “guarantee the knowledge displayed is the one factor you see till you acknowledge it”.
When the struggle entered the tenth day, the UAE authorities introduced a change in its warning alert system, Khaleej Occasions reported, including it “notifies residents of when to take shelter in a secure place and when it’s secure to renew regular actions”.
In response to the report, the federal government introduced two kinds of updates. The primary makes use of a excessive alert tone for the alert itself, together with a regular textual content message tone for the top of the alert, from 9am to 10:30pm UAE native time.
The second kind makes use of a regular textual content message tone for each the alert and the top of alert, from 10:30pm to 9am native time.
Because the struggle engulfed a wider area, together with Azerbaijan and Turkey, psychological stress started to rise, elevating issues about the place the state of affairs would possibly lead globally.
For Saman, the stress intensified as she questioned whether or not it may be the start of World Battle Three. Nonetheless, she nonetheless thought-about the UAE a secure place to reside in comparison with different Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations, regardless of a number of assaults on the UAE by Iran.
Although the UAE authorities has applied a system of alarms and alerts, Saman stays fearful every time she leaves her dwelling or office, fearful that an alert may very well be triggered at any second.
“As soon as, I used to be about to step out of my dwelling for procuring after I acquired an alert. I needed to wait till the security alarm stopped,” she mentioned.
Saman lauded the measures taken by the UAE authorities to take care of the continued state of affairs, saying “they’re praiseworthy”.
Faculties throughout the UAE took measures for the psychological well being of the scholars, with psychologists making a steerage doc for folks on dos and don’ts, Khaleej Occasions reported.
In response to one other report by the publication, the Gulf nation additionally ensured the psychological well being situation of its residents by activating free and confidential providers at clinics and having well being authorities help residents in navigating the state of affairs.
Individually, Dubai launched a hotline service to supply free psychological well being help to its residents, residents, and guests, Gulf Information reported.
For Saman, different initiatives taken by the federal government additionally helped relieve her stress. These included on-line lessons for colleges, early spring holidays, and the postponement of second-term exams.
Aside from the measures within the training sector, official life continues as ordinary, with some workplaces providing the choice to earn a living from home, she added.
She additional mentioned that the federal government continued to introduce new insurance policies day by day to make sure public security and forestall panic.
Conflict can disturb people emotionally
At least 1.8 million Pakistanis live in the UAE, according to a 2024 figure shared by the Dubai Counsel Normal.
In response to the World Well being Organisation (WHO), an estimated 13 per cent of conflict-affected populations have delicate types of despair, anxiousness and post-traumatic stress dysfunction, whereas reasonable or extreme psychological issues have an effect on 9pc.
Dr Bushra Jabeen, a scientific psychologist at Ittefaq Hospital Lahore, famous that for Pakistani expats within the UAE, the psychological affect of struggle may very well be deeper and extra private as lots of them have been carrying the emotional weight of distance, obligation, and uncertainty.
“As migrants, they might fear about household again dwelling, the security of the area, job continuity, journey disruption, rising residing prices, and their capability to maintain supporting family members by remittances,” Jabeen advised Daybreak.
In response to Dr Jabeen, anxiousness could “manifest as restlessness, sleep issues, irritability, overthinking, low focus, or silent emotional exhaustion. Though concern, fear, and stress are pure responses to actual or perceived threats, migrants usually carry further psychosocial pressure as a consequence of separation, uncertainty, and publicity to crisis-related stress”.
“So, for Pakistani expats, the problem isn’t solely ‘Am I secure right here?’ Additionally it is, ‘What occurs to my household, my future, and my obligations if this disaster grows?’”
She additional famous that even in “a rustic broadly seen as secure, battle within the wider area can nonetheless disturb folks emotionally”.
The physician describes security not solely when it comes to borders and policing, but in addition “what folks really feel of their minds and houses”.
She added that when struggle dominates headlines, many expertise “anxiousness, poor sleep, irritability, problem concentrating, and a relentless sense of uncertainty.”
The psychologist highlighted that “emergencies usually set off misery comparable to concern, disappointment, anger, fatigue, and sleep issues, even amongst people who find themselves circuitously within the line of fireside”.
She added that within the present state of affairs within the UAE, “the psychological impact of the struggle could come much less from direct publicity and extra from anticipation about their household within the dwelling nation, nonstop social media scrolling, rumours, financial worries, and concern of escalation”.
She added that, consequently, it will possibly particularly have an effect on youngsters, older adults, expatriate communities, and people already underneath stress.
Nonetheless, she talked about that “sturdy establishments, clear communication, and social stability can cut back panic and assist folks cope higher. Public reassurance, accountable media use, and group help are simply as vital as bodily safety in preserving nationwide calm”.
Households of Pakistani expats residing with concern and uncertainty
The general psychological well being of everybody residing within the Gulf nations has been impacted, because the Center East, as soon as thought-about a “secure haven,” has change into one of the vital weak components of the world.
Dr Monica Vaswani, marketing consultant psychiatrist at Hillpark Normal Hospital, Karachi, advised Daybreak that individuals who instantly witness struggle “develop acute stress dysfunction. If not handled promptly, it will possibly result in post-traumatic stress dysfunction (PTSD), with signs comparable to flashbacks, anxiousness, sleep disturbances, and avoidance behaviour”.
“Probably the most weak are youngsters, as this trauma can have an effect on them probably the most, resulting in childhood traumas and that results in extreme anxiousness,” she mentioned.
Dr Vaswani talked about that the state of affairs not solely impacts Pakistani expats within the UAE, but in addition may cause their households again dwelling to expertise uncertainty and security issues. “It might probably result in extreme stress and a concern of shedding their family members.”
The continued battle has claimed the lives of three Pakistani expats. One victim, identified as Mureed Zaman, was from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district, while the other victim, Muzaffar Ali, was from Jamshoro.
The third victim was killed in a drone attack while fishing inside Iranian waters.
Many people have migrated to the Gulf countries due to their low cost of living and safe environment. Deteriorating safety, security, and economic conditions in Pakistan prompted them to move with the hope of improving their living standards.
Dr Vaswani highlighted that the Pakistani youth “have seen the UAE and Saudi Arabia as their dream countries”.
However, she added that as the region “has lost stability, the young generation who were planning to move may feel stuck and experience despair”.
UAE’s status of ‘safe heaven’ is changing
The war has exposed the vulnerability of the Gulf countries, caught amid US and Israeli actions and Iran’s retaliatory attacks on US assets and Middle East infrastructure.
Naade Ali, a researcher at the Policy Center at the Middle East Institute, noted that the Gulf countries “are caught between relying on the US as their only protector and risking the anger of a powerful neighbour such as Iran, which will always be present”.
Ali noted that the conflict has changed the geopolitics of the Persian Gulf forever, “bringing up complex challenges which are difficult to handle by the Gulf countries themselves”.
“Countries like the UAE have been holding back from direct involvement in the war, not because they lack the resources, but because they have very little tolerance for risk,” Ali told Dawn, adding the countries could not afford the economic consequences of Iranian attacks on their billion-dollar infrastructure.
Ali also highlighted that the war has shown how constant tension hurts investor confidence, trade, and regional cooperation. “The geography of these countries makes them very fragile; even a simple verbal threat from Iran against American banks or assets in the UAE can trigger panic and a market crash,” he said.
The UAE stock exchange remained closed for two days in the initial days of the war, as the country reels from Iran’s retaliatory missile and drone strikes, reflecting the growing economic disruption across the Gulf.
He said the Gulf countries might rethink their entire defence strategy if the escalation continues and noted Iran’s stance on closing US military bases in the Middle East.
“Eventually, I see the Gulf states engaging with Iran on new security deals and looking for a neutral protector to replace the US that everyone can agree on,” he said, adding that Pakistan could be that choice, “especially since its defense ties with Saudi Arabia and its naval operations have already helped limit Iranian attacks and secure supply lines”.
However, it was not an easy task because “the war is getting worse, and Iran is opening new fronts to keep the upper hand”.
In Ali’s view, the UAE’s status as a “safe haven” is changing. “The Gulf has relied on oil, tourism, and tax-free living to attract global money, but that trust is fading as investors pull out.”
In a reference to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, he said the countries “can no longer guarantee the safety of maritime supply chains, which was the foundation of their business environment.”
“The UAE is especially at risk because it imports nearly 95 per cent of its food and gets a huge portion of its water from desalination plants. As the war goes on, it will be impossible to maintain such a high standard of living.”
Ali said that “this situation will deeply affect the Pakistani working class living there. As companies downsize and inflation rises, many will lose their jobs and struggle to save money or send remittances back home. If they are forced to return to Pakistan, the country will feel the loss of this foreign income, which it has relied on for so long.”
Saman highlighted the recent hike in petroleum prices and other measures taken by the Pakistani government, noting that the country has been significantly affected economically by the war.
For her, these measures would further impact the standard of living of the middle class, which is already struggling with inflation. She also mentioned that the safety and security situation in Pakistan is unsuitable for her family, who have lived in a safe and secure country for the past 10 years. Therefore, the question of whether she and her family would consider moving back to Pakistan did not arise for her.
“Living in the UAE is still the safest option compared with other countries,” she said, adding that the current regional conflict has created an atmosphere of tension and fear that did not exist before.
“I still believe living here permanently is the right decision, as the UAE government is taking initiatives for the people that other countries, including Pakistan, would not take under normal circumstances. The safety of people remains the government’s top priority here.”
*Name has been changed to protect identity.
Header image: Smoke rises from the direction of an energy installation in the Gulf emirate of Fujairah on March 14, 2026. — AFP
