Kamran Khan said he spoke “with a heavy heart” as he described drone and missile attacks targeting the United Arab Emirates, calling the country a home for millions of expatriates from around the world.
Speaking on his program “On My Radar,” Khan said the UAE, which hosts residents from 192 nationalities, has long been seen as a model of safety, discipline and tolerance.
“For many people around the world, the UAE is a successful nation,” he said. “For millions of residents like me, it is something much more. It is home.”
Khan said people from across the globe came to the UAE not to fight wars, but to work, build futures and raise families in peace. He listed teachers, doctors, engineers, construction workers and taxi drivers among those who form the backbone of the country’s workforce.
“That is why watching drones and missiles targeting this peaceful country hurts so deeply,” he said, adding that residents “have no quarrel with anyone” yet wake up to the anxiety of ongoing attacks.
Khan established Nukta in Dubai in mid-2023, describing the decision as inspired by the UAE’s legal system, merit-based opportunities and interfaith harmony.
With support from the Dubai Media Office, Nukta was launched from Dubai Studio City in eight months, he said, calling the process a reflection of the country’s administrative efficiency.
He expressed appreciation to the Dubai Media Office and its Director General, Her Excellency Mona Ghanem Al Marri, for their support in setting up the platform.
Beyond institutions, Khan said what sets the UAE apart is its social fabric.
He described Indians and Pakistanis sharing meals, Russians and Ukrainians working side by side, and Americans and Iranians living in the same neighborhoods.
Nearly 192 nationalities live together in the UAE, he said, united by law and mutual respect despite differences in language, culture and faith.
For someone with more than four decades in journalism, Khan said, the country represents a rare example of peaceful coexistence.
Khan also spoke as a Pakistani, highlighting longstanding ties between Pakistan and the UAE.
He said the UAE stood by Pakistan during earthquakes, floods and economic crises, providing humanitarian assistance and financial support.
Nearly 1.8 million Pakistanis live and work in the UAE, contributing to its economy while sending billions of dollars in remittances back home each year, he said. Those funds support families and communities across Pakistan.
The relationship between the two countries is “deeply human,” he said.
Khan recounted the death of a Pakistani taxi driver in Al Barsha in what he described as a drone attack.
The driver, he said, had come to the UAE to earn a living for his family and “had no quarrel with anyone.”
“Wars may be launched by governments,” Khan said. “But the pain is carried by ordinary people.”
He warned that the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran could draw the UAE further into regional instability.
Khan expressed hope that the conflict would not escalate in a way that endangers a country he described as a haven for diversity and coexistence.
“The UAE is not just a country,” he said. “It is a home for the world.”
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