'He was like family': Pakistani grandfather killed by missile debris in Abu Dhabi mourned

[Editor's Note: Follow Khaleej Times live blog amid US-Israel-Iran war for the latest regional developments.]

For the last 12 years, Ismail Khan was a loyal worker at an Abu Dhabi contracting company and like a family member for his colleagues. On March 17, the 47-year-old was killed when debris from a missile interception fell on him.

“I still can’t believe he is gone,” Noor Mohammed, his manager at the company, told Khaleej Times. “When you work together for so many years, you become like one family.”

Hailing from the Nari village in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Ismail worked as an assistant for a contracting company that laid electrical cables in Abu Dhabi. Noor said that he was one of the most loyal workers. “He was very hard working and very reliable,” he recalled. “You could entrust him with any job and know that he would get it done.”

Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.

For the last three years, Ismail has been working on the site alongside his eldest son, 24-year-old Zubayr. “He came to work in the same company about three years ago and was also an electrical helper just like his father,” said Noor. “But Ismail wanted Zubayr to make further career advances, so he had applied for a driving licence and was in the process of getting it before the tragedy struck.”

According to Noor, Ismail was especially close to Zubayr’s son- his only grandchild. “Every day he would call his grandson on video call and talk to him,” he said. “Once or twice I have also spoken to the child.”

The incident

Ever since the beginning of the US-Israel-Iran war and the subsequent regional tensions, the company has been following new protocol. “We have a concrete shelter built at our sites,” said Noor. “When we get an alert, we all rush into the shelter and wait there until we get the safe message.”

The tragic incident took place just days before Eid. Ismail was at perimeter duty at one of the company’s outdoor excavation sites. “Since he was one of our older staff, we try to avoid giving him jobs that are too labour-intensive,” said Noor. “One team was excavating the site to lay down the pipes while Ismail was making sure that barricades were in place and ensuring that no one could come near the site. So, he was a little further away from the shelter than the others. That is when the alert came.”

While those who were excavating rushed into the shelter, Ismail was just running there when debris from the missile interception fell on him. “He was probably 50 meters away from the shelter,” he said. “It was really tragic.”

Noor praised the quick response of Abu Dhabi’s emergency teams. “The police and ambulance were on site within minutes,” he said. “They pronounced him dead and took his body away. Some of us then went to the police station to finish the paperwork”

Ismail’s body was repatriated to Pakistan on March 19 and he was buried there on the same day. His son Zubayr accompanied his father’s mortal remains.

Impact

According to Noor, his team is still grappling with the aftermath of the incident. “He was like family and many of them still miss him tremendously,” he said. “After the incident, Abu Dhabi authorities sent their representatives to comfort the team and help them cope with the tragedy.”

He said that since the incident, he ensures that everyone takes extra precautions when alerts come. “We drop whatever we are doing and rush into the shelter,” he said. “Even after the safe message, we wait around 10 minutes before coming back out. I hope that all companies will take these steps to ensure that their staff remains safe. Ismail will always remain in our memories and we will miss his presence.”