The members of the royal family of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), who used to regularly visit Pakistan during the hunting season in the winter, might be thinking otherwise this year because of security reasons after the disclosure of the fact that the NATO, ISAF forces were operating from Shamsi Airbase — currently under the control of the UAE government — to target Taliban militants in Afghanistan and the Tribal Areas.
Diplomatic sources in Islamabad believe that the UAE government is ‘concerned’ over official disclosure of the fact that it had allowed the NATO-ISAF forces to use Shamsi Airbase to target terrorists. The officials of UAE Foreign Ministry too in the past had asked the US to keep UAE’s cooperation with NATO, ISAF secret due to the same reason.
On May 11, 2005, Ahmed Al Musally, director of the Asian and African Affairs Department at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs told then US deputy chief of mission in the UAE to keep UAE’s cooperation with the US confidential.
A diplomatic cable sent on May 14, 2005 by then ambassador to the UAE Michele J Sison, which was leaked by WikiLeaks says that Al Musally complained that retired Gen Tommy Franks, former commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), in his memoir ‘American Soldier’ had mentioned that US forces had made use of Sheikh Zayed’s private airstrip in Balochistan.
“Al Musally told the US envoy that the UAEG [UAE government] desires to keep details of the UAE cooperation with the US military in Afghanistan and Pakistan confidential, because the [UAE] government is concerned that public acknowledgement of this assistance could pose risks to the security of UAE officials within the UAE or in Pakistan. Moreover, Al Musally noted that members of the UAE’s ruling families frequently visit Pakistan for hunting and the information may compromise their security.
He noted that there are 500,000 to 600,000 Pakistanis residing in the UAE… Maybe they can’t do anything here [in the UAE], but they might try there (i.e. Pakistan), especially when our leaders travel there,” the diplomatic cable says.
Commenting on the issue, a diplomat asking not to be named said, “This official disclosure, which was earlier being reported in the press but had not been confirmed by any government official of Pakistan, the UAE or the US, may pose security threats to UAE citizens in the country.”