"Etihad fires 15 Pakistanis, gives 48-hour exit order: UAE signals tougher stance on Islamabad", 1 May 2026

Etihad Airways abruptly terminated 15 Pakistani employees in Abu Dhabi, giving them 48 hours to leave the UAE without standard HR procedures. The move has raised concerns about Pakistan’s standing in the Gulf. According to CNN-News18, the dismissals were executed with unusual speed and without the standard corporate processes typically followed in such cases...

Sources cited by CNN-News18 indicate that the affected employees were not formally notified through human resources channels. Instead, they were reportedly called to an immigration office and handed orders to leave the United Arab Emirates within 48 hours...

The short deadline has left them with little room to manage finances, arrange travel, or relocate their families...

Etihad Airways has not publicly explained the reasons behind the move. While workforce restructuring is not unusual in the aviation sector, the involvement of immigration authorities and the immediacy of the deportation orders suggest that this may not be a routine corporate decision.

Analysts quoted by CNN-News18 view the episode as more than an isolated labour issue. It is being interpreted as a sign of cooling ties between the UAE and Pakistan...