At only 31, Aleem has already endured a lifetime of threat and trauma. More than a decade of military service alongside British Special Forces in Afghanistan culminated in a nail-biting evacuation after the Taliban took control of the country last August.
Escaping the retributive clutches of the hardline group was a journey he made while being consumed by inner conflict. His acute pain and guilt at the separation from his family was eased only by the dramatic birth of his daughter on board his flight to the UK.
Nearly a year after arriving in England, the guilt lives on but Aleem – not his real name – and his family are feeling lucky.
He cycles to and from his daily English lessons, returning home to a modest semi-detached house in which he, his wife and three children, aged 10, 5 and 11 months, have been resettled in the ancient city of Cambridge.
After eight months spent in three holding hotels around London, the family were moved to a home of their own in March.
Life in limbo for Afghanistan's refugees
Of the 18,000 Afghan and British citizens who were evacuated under Operation Pitting and promised a “warm welcome” in the UK, only 7,000 have been moved into permanent lodgings. About 9,500 Afghan evacuees are still living in holding hotels.
“Most people in the hotels are thinking primarily about getting a house, ideally in a Muslim community so that there are halal shops around them,” says Aleem.
“It’s their biggest concern because only when they are settled can they begin their lives.”
Four months after moving in, the walls and tables still lack the personal pictures and trinkets that turn a house into a home, but a deliciously comforting aroma of freshly cooked biryani more than compensates.
A back garden dotted with various playground toys reveals where the couple’s furnishing priorities lie.
“I built the swings and slide myself,” says Aleem, with a pride also for the flowers and vegetables they have planted outside.
But his relaxed attitude suddenly sharpens when he begins to tell the tale of his escape from Afghanistan.
Despite the almost 6000 kilometres between them, Aleem's fear of the Taliban remains high and he asks for anonymity. Having already lost two siblings to the militants' gunfire this year, those fears are far from unfounded.
Serving Afghanistan with British soldiers
Soon after leaving high school in 2010, Aleem joined the army to “serve my country”, he tells The National proudly, and worked with British Special Forces.
Nearly a decade on from the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan that toppled the Taliban regime, the early days of victory and democracy-building were soon replaced by a deteriorating security situation that claimed at least 176,000 lives over 20 years.
By the time Aleem joined the military, British troops, numbering more than 150,000 over the two decades, were regularly part of joint offensives with the Afghan army against the Taliban.
“I have been fighting them everywhere for years so when they came back into power there was no doubt that I would be killed,” he says.
Later, over the fluffed and spiced rice dish made by his wife, he said dropping his weapons after the withdrawal of Nato troops ushered the Taliban back to power was “one of the most shameful things you can do as a soldier”.
But it was time to recognise the fight was over.
Kabul has fallen, time to leave
His years of service alongside British troops made him eligible for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) scheme, which opened in April 2021 to former locally employed staff in Afghanistan.
Some Afghans had already applied and moved to the UK in the months before the Taliban resumed power. Once the group took control of the capital city of Kabul on August 15, 2021, the numbers of people wanting to flee soared.
In the two weeks that followed, the US and coalition partners evacuated more than 123,000 people from Kabul’s main airport.
During that time, thousands of terrified Afghans thronged the airport inside and outside, seeking an escape route. People queued for hours in the heat, or hid in the sewers, carrying their children and a few precious belongings, waving documents proving their eligibility for evacuation.
One day, Aleem got a call from a friend who had made it inside the airport telling him to come too.
“I had some very tough times in my military career but what I saw there was the toughest," he says.
“Someone was asking for water, another for food, another for help, but there was no one to help them.”
After struggling to make his way through the crowd for seven hours, he reached one of the British soldiers letting people into the terminal.
“But there were Taliban members around too and I was scared," he says. "If I showed him my documents, they’d know I had been in the army and that I had fought them and I would be a marked man. If the British soldiers didn’t let me in, I would be dead.”
Eventually, he found his way into the airport through another entrance next to the Baron Hotel.
A few hours later he would hear the explosions that ripped through the crowd at the Abbey Gate, killing at least 95 people and wounding 150 others.
“It was a short distance between dying and living,” says Aleem.
And it was only the beginning.
Kabul to Birmingham and a baby born on board
It would be some time before Aleem was able to get himself on an evacuation list, appealing to the British soldiers with whom he had worked side-by-side for help.
Once approved, he asked his brother, who had also served in the military, to bring Aleem's heavily pregnant wife and two young boys to the airport gates.
“When I opened the door and saw the crowd outside, I could see some of the friends I had worked on missions with for 12 years. They raised their hands and asked me for help. But there was nothing I could do so I ignored them. I felt so helpless and ashamed,” he says.
Aleem describes what seemed like a haphazard process of selection. Some were rejected, some were accepted and it was not clear why – a criticism made by several people in the UK government who were working on the evacuation process at the time.
His brother was not allowed to join him on the flight out.
“I told them he had been in the army too, that he had been injured fighting the Taliban but they said no, he couldn’t come with us, so I had to say goodbye to him,” he says, his voice breaking and tears streaming down his face. “And then he was gone.”
It was the last time he would ever see him. A few months later, two of Aleem's brothers, including the one left behind at Kabul airport, were shot and killed at a checkpoint while attempting to flee to Iran.
But there would be little time for Aleem to process what he had just left behind – country, family, friends, career – because a new life was quite literally awaiting him.
After first disembarking in the UAE, the evacuees were put on another flight headed for the UK but no sooner had they taken off than Aleem's wife went into labour. There was no doctor on the plane so the cabin crew relied on their training to help deliver the baby girl.
After an emergency landing in Qatar and a visit by the doctor, the family continued their journey to Birmingham and arrived laden with mixed feelings.
“It was complicated, I was happy because we had a new baby girl but I had also just left my brother in the airport, and the rest of my family in a country where the situation was changing dangerously, so my happiness and my sadness were mixed.”
They named their daughter Havva, meaning ‘air’ in Dari, but the novelty of having a baby mid-flight quickly wore off once the bureaucratic difficulties set in.
Confusion over where to obtain her birth certificate – the UAE, from where the plane had departed, Turkey, the aircraft operator’s origins, Qatar, where they had landed or the UK, their destination – has reigned since Havva’s birth.
Conversations with the local authority and Home Office case workers have not proved fruitful. Some even suggested Aleem get her birth certificate from Afghanistan.
“People are normally excited about this exceptional case of being born on a plane but I am the opposite because it is causing problems,” he says.
Havva will turn 1 in a few weeks and still doesn’t have a birth certificate.
From unsettling hotels to a home of their own
When the family arrived to England in September 2021, existing Covid restrictions meant they had to quarantine in a hotel for two weeks.
They were later moved to a bridging hotel in central London where they stayed for two-and-a-half months.
“There were too many of us in that hotel,” he says of a place that housed several hundred Afghan refugees. “It was disorganised, the food wasn’t good either but it was a lot better than the next place they put us in.”
The next hotel had loose wiring, broken cupboards and an insect infestation that left his children with rashes.
Continuing to weigh on Aleem's mind were the people left behind in Afghanistan.
A cousin had been imprisoned by the Taliban. His sisters were no longer allowed to continue their education.
His brothers are dead.
“I never saw them, I never saw their bodies or went to their funeral, I just can’t really believe that they’re gone,” he says.
But, life must move on. Aleem has been trying to take the advice of his fellow Afghans: “Make yourself ready for your family, be strong and look forward.”
Once his English is good enough, he’ll start looking for a job. Becoming a plumber appeals to him.
Until then, language classes, taking his children to school and long walks around the capital occupy his time.
“I think we must have visited all the museums in London,” he says with a reminiscent smile.
When asked how he feels now, he says: “I’m happy.
“My only concern is that I wish I could bring my family here, I have three sisters and one young brother left. My parents are getting old, I wish they could be here with me.”
UAE SQUAD
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Mohamed Usman (vice captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Imran Haider, Tahir Mughal, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed, Fahad Nawaz, Abdul Shakoor, Sultan Ahmed, CP Rizwan
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Ways to control drones
Countries have been coming up with ways to restrict and monitor the use of non-commercial drones to keep them from trespassing on controlled areas such as airports.
"Drones vary in size and some can be as big as a small city car - so imagine the impact of one hitting an airplane. It's a huge risk, especially when commercial airliners are not designed to make or take sudden evasive manoeuvres like drones can" says Saj Ahmed, chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research.
New measures have now been taken to monitor drone activity, Geo-fencing technology is one.
It's a method designed to prevent drones from drifting into banned areas. The technology uses GPS location signals to stop its machines flying close to airports and other restricted zones.
The European commission has recently announced a blueprint to make drone use in low-level airspace safe, secure and environmentally friendly. This process is called “U-Space” – it covers altitudes of up to 150 metres. It is also noteworthy that that UK Civil Aviation Authority recommends drones to be flown at no higher than 400ft. “U-Space” technology will be governed by a system similar to air traffic control management, which will be automated using tools like geo-fencing.
The UAE has drawn serious measures to ensure users register their devices under strict new laws. Authorities have urged that users must obtain approval in advance before flying the drones, non registered drone use in Dubai will result in a fine of up to twenty thousand dirhams under a new resolution approved by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai.
Mr Ahmad suggest that "Hefty fines running into hundreds of thousands of dollars need to compensate for the cost of airport disruption and flight diversions to lengthy jail spells, confiscation of travel rights and use of drones for a lengthy period" must be enforced in order to reduce airport intrusion.
FIXTURES
December 28
Stan Wawrinka v Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
Milos Raonic v Dominic Thiem, no earlier then 7pm
December 29 - semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Stan Wawrinka / Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Milos Raonic / Dominic Thiem, no earlier then 7pm
December 30
3rd/4th place play-off, 5pm
Final, 7pm
What went into the film
25 visual effects (VFX) studios
2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots
1,000 VFX artists
3,000 technicians
10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers
New sound technology, named 4D SRL
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Match info
Wolves 0
Arsenal 2 (Saka 43', Lacazette 85')
Man of the match: Shkodran Mustafi (Arsenal)
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
FIGHT INFO
Men’s 60kg Round 1:
Ahmad Shuja Jamal (AFG) beat Krisada Takhiankliang (THA) - points
Hyan Aljmyah (SYR) beat Akram Alyminee (YEM) - retired Round 1
Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) beat Bhanu Pratap Pandit (IND) - TKO Round 1
Men’s 71kg Round 1:
Seyed Kaveh Soleyman (IRI) beat Abedel Rahman (JOR) - RSC round 3.
Amine Al Moatassime (UAE) walk over Ritiz Puri (NEP)
Structural%20weaknesses%20facing%20Israel%20economy
%3Cp%3E1.%20Labour%20productivity%20is%20lower%20than%20the%20average%20of%20the%20developed%20economies%2C%20particularly%20in%20the%20non-tradable%20industries.%3Cbr%3E2.%20The%20low%20level%20of%20basic%20skills%20among%20workers%20and%20the%20high%20level%20of%20inequality%20between%20those%20with%20various%20skills.%3Cbr%3E3.%20Low%20employment%20rates%2C%20particularly%20among%20Arab%20women%20and%20Ultra-Othodox%20Jewish%20men.%3Cbr%3E4.%20A%20lack%20of%20basic%20knowledge%20required%20for%20integration%20into%20the%20labour%20force%2C%20due%20to%20the%20lack%20of%20core%20curriculum%20studies%20in%20schools%20for%20Ultra-Othodox%20Jews.%3Cbr%3E5.%20A%20need%20to%20upgrade%20and%20expand%20physical%20infrastructure%2C%20particularly%20mass%20transit%20infrastructure.%3Cbr%3E6.%20The%20poverty%20rate%20at%20more%20than%20double%20the%20OECD%20average.%3Cbr%3E7.%20Population%20growth%20of%20about%202%20per%20cent%20per%20year%2C%20compared%20to%200.6%20per%20cent%20OECD%20average%20posing%20challenge%20for%20fiscal%20policy%20and%20underpinning%20pressure%20on%20education%2C%20health%20care%2C%20welfare%20housing%20and%20physical%20infrastructure%2C%20which%20will%20increase%20in%20the%20coming%20years.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
RESULTS
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,000m
Winner: AF Mozhell, Saif Al Balushi (jockey), Khalifa Al Neyadi (trainer)
2.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Majdi, Szczepan Mazur, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
3pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: AF Athabeh, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
3.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: AF Eshaar, Bernardo Pinheiro, Khalifa Al Neyadi
4pm: Gulf Cup presented by Longines Prestige (PA) Dh150,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Al Roba’a Al Khali, Al Moatasem Al Balushi, Younis Al Kalbani
4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Apolo Kid, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muahiri
Dunki
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rajkumar%20Hirani%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shah%20Rukh%20Khan%2C%20Taapsee%20Pannu%2C%20Vikram%20Kochhar%20and%20Anil%20Grover%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The biog
Name: Dr Lalia Al Helaly
Education: PhD in Sociology from Cairo
Favourite authors: Elif Shafaq and Nizar Qabbani.
Favourite music: classical Arabic music such as Um Khalthoum and Abdul Wahab,
She loves the beach and advises her clients to go for meditation.
