Dibas Shrestha had a plan. The 29-year-old security guard from Nepal would work overseas for ten years, save money, and return home to start a business for his family. He made it eight years before an Iranian drone strike on Abu Dhabi International Airport killed him on March 1.
"Dibas's plan always was to come back to live in Nepal and start a business," his family told The National. "He was a loving, happy person who was loved by all."
Shrestha's death puts a face on the expatriate workforce that forms the backbone of the UAE's economy but often remains invisible in coverage of regional conflicts. Security guards, construction workers, domestic employees—the millions of South Asian workers who keep Emirates functioning—now find themselves on the front lines of a conflict they never chose.
In the Emirates, as across the Gulf, ambitious visions drive rapid transformation—turning desert into global business hubs. But that transformation depends entirely on workers like Shrestha, willing to spend years away from family for wages that, while modest by UAE standards, represent life-changing opportunity for families back home.
The Nepali community in the UAE numbers approximately 400,000, concentrated in security, hospitality, and construction sectors. Most send remittances home that constitute a significant portion of Nepal's GDP—money that supports extended families, educates children, and builds futures.
Shrestha died doing exactly that—working a night shift at the airport, one of thousands of expatriate workers who keep the UAE's infrastructure running around the clock. His family described him as determined to complete his ten-year plan before returning to permanently.
