The driver had confessed to having received 30,000 dirhams from the officer he was meeting. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
The Federal Supreme Court ruled that the Pakistani, who worked as a "driver at a sensitive government department," had been recruited by an intelligence officer at a foreign embassy in the United Arab Emirates.
The man had supplied photographs of meetings in the Gulf country between UAE officials and foreign delegates, WAM reported.
The Pakistani had confessed to having received 30,000 dirhams (more than $8,000) from the officer whom he met several times at the embassy headquarters and at the Iranian hospital in Dubai, said WAM.
WAM did not specify the country for which the defendant was convicted of spying.
The Abu Dhabi court also acquitted a second suspect, an Iranian, on trial for the same offence for lack of evidence, WAM said.
An Emirati national married to an Iranian woman was sentenced in January to seven years in jail for spying.
Iran and the UAE are in dispute over ownership of the islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb, which lie in the strategic Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the oil-rich Gulf.
Iran took control of the islands in 1971 when Britain withdrew from the Gulf, in an annexation still contested by the UAE.
The UAE is a staunch ally of the United States, Iran's arch rival and leader of international efforts to curb Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
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@Sonya: Good point Sonya; but important to realize that Pakistan was for the longest period part of the nexus of US, KSA, UAE, until jilted by the US. Pakistan lost its' bearings long time ago and is now unable and/or unwilling to protects its' minorities such as Shias.
@Khan: Nice of you to make a provocative statement to elicit some interesting comments. Apropos of what I stated above regarding Pakistan loosing its' bearings, Pakistanis need to understand their history, origins, and their roots. Until they do that, they will continue to be confused socially, culturally, and politically, not to mention religiously. Pakistan did not exist until 65 years ago. We are and have been for millennia ethnic Indians. Get to understand it and be proud of it. Sure there is a mixture of populations from Central Asia, Iran, Turkey, and parts of Arab countries but not to any substantial extent.
Well done UAE. I salute UAE intelligence for catching Iranian spies and expelling Iran-supporting Pakistanis. Iran is a major terrorism promoter in the world.
Great job Sheikhs of UAE. May God keep your country safe.
Khan is right. It took Pakistanis years before they realized that they were not Iranians but Arabs. So many commentators in these columns over the past several years persuaded me that Pakistan had moved physically to the middle east, what with naming all your places after Arab despots, Gaddafi Stadium for example. How about Sharia Faisal which had all native trees replaced by Saudi date palms. You did not want to be Indian, or Allah forbid, Bengali and you stopped being Iranian. All those people are happy to see you change your ethnicity to Arab. I am shocked, shocked, now you are not Arab either?
I think Khan was just being sarcastic. What I feel he meant was about the way most Pakistanis try to immitate the Arab culture, wearing UAE styled Abayas and Kandouras and smelling like Oud, while still eating biryani and qorma. Ask the Pakistanis living in Saudi Arabia how they are treated by the locals in govt. offices. Khan just clubbed all Gulf states as Arabs in his sweeping statement though. Don't think too much about it mate
@khan: Great question! If you can afford to travel, pls do ask them this question on our behalf.
@expaki: reminds me of Jonathan Pollard!But then that's another story!
@khan: Pakistanis are NOT Arabs!! Arabs don't wear shalwar khameez or have biryani or any spicy dish as their cultural cuisine. We are Muslims not Arabs! We are proud of our culture! Arabs will never see Pakistanis as Arabs just like don't see Iranians, Afghans Turks or Indonesians, etc. Pakistanis who hate their culture or have an inferiority complex like yourself should be banned!
Why do UAE arabs hate Pakistani arabs??
*Typical guy, biting hands which were feeding him and his family.*
In an Iranian hospital;what more one needs to know which country he was spying for.
This tiny corporation-like country would always do something to show its prominence - but in fact involved in funding terrorism in Pakistan and killing of Chinese engineers working on Gawadar port. In working as a team with US and Saudi Arabia, UAE has reportedly been expelling Pakistanis on the basis of their shia beliefs and Pakistan must act to protect the interests of its citizens working abroad.