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GWADAR: Two Pakistani nationals were killed in separate incidents linked to falling missile debris amid the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran, officials said on Sunday.
A fisherman from Gwadar died after debris from an Israeli projectile intercepted by Iranian air defences struck his boat in Iranian waters, while a Pakistani driver was killed in Dubai when debris from an aerial interception fell on a vehicle.
The Dubai victim was the second Pakistani national killed in the United Arab Emirates since the war began on Feb 28 and quickly spilled over to other regional countries as Tehran responded with drone and missile attacks targeting US assets and bases across the Gulf.
Gwadar Deputy Commissioner Naqibullah Kakar confirmed the incident to Dawn, saying it occurred on Saturday. The deceased was identified as Muhammad Tayyab, a resident of Gannz, a small coastal town in Balochistan’s Gwadar district.
District Police Officer Attaur Rehman also confirmed the incident and told Dawn that Mr Tayyab had ventured into Iranian waters to obtain Iranian oil.
According to DC Kakar, the projectile was apparently aimed at fishing boats in a coastal area of Iran’s Sistan-Baluchistan province, but it was intercepted and destroyed by Iran’s air defence system.
“A portion of the debris from that drone or missile struck Mr Tayyab’s fishing boat, resulting in his death,” he said.
A Gwadar local administration official told Arab News on condition of anonymity that the family didn’t allow the police to perform a post-mortem calling him a martyr.
Officials said Mr Tayyab’s body was brought to his hometown of Gannz by sea, where he was later buried.
Pakistani killed in UAE
Meanwhile, 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 the Dubai Media Office.
The statement did not specify which projectile had been intercepted or from where it had been launched.
The Pakistani embassy in the UAE said its consulate in Dubai was in contact with local authorities to assist the victim’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 day war began on Feb 28, the UAE defence ministry had reported the death of a person after debris from intercepted missiles fell on a residential area in Abu Dhabi.
Initially, authorities said an Asian national had been killed, but later confirmed that the victim was Mureed Zaman, a Pakistani from Bannu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Zaman had been working in Abu Dhabi for nearly eight years as a driver and labourer to support his family back home.
The UAE expressed its condolences to the victim’s family and condemned attacks on civilian targets.
“The UAE stressed that the targeting of civilians and civilian objects is unequivocally condemned and strictly prohibited under international law and humanitarian principles,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
President Asif Ali Zardari also expressed sorrow over the deaths of the two Pakistani nationals and warned that escalating tensions could engulf other countries and threaten regional and global peace.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was “deeply saddened by the tragic deaths”, adding that Pakistan’s diplomatic missions in the UAE were in contact with local authorities to provide assistance and facilitate the repatriation process.
Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2026
