Dubai: A Pakistani expat said he will walk 350km across all seven UAE emirates to mark UAE National Day.
Mohammad Malek, 51, said he accomplished the walk in 2014 and will attempt the feat again.
“I did it for the last National Day and I’m doing it again this year. I want to bring attention to the fact the UAE is one of the safest and most peaceful places on earth,” he added.
Malek, a Dubai-based carpenter, said he will cover the trip in just one week, starting in Fujairah on November 26 and finishing in Abu Dhabi on December 2.
“I will rest and sleep only for a few hours each day. I will take breaks at petrol stations, eat a little bit and push on.”
He will only have “some cash, a phone and a UAE flag” on him, sleep rough and use petrol station washrooms.
“I’m not scared of walking alone at night in isolated areas. What’s there to be scared of? I used to work in the forest in Pakistan with no one around for miles,” said Malek.
He added that “everyone says I’m a really hard worker who can do this mission again. My family has given me their full support”.
Malek said he had got blisters on his feet last time and had to get new shoes to finish the journey. He also had to dump a 10kg bag of supplies he was carrying in the previous attempt.
“But it was a great experience, people stopped to take pictures with me and cheer me on. Even the police in Fujairah gave me a salute.”
The father-of-four has been in the UAE for nine years and “never seen a fight. I used to see fights in Pakistan over small things.
“I love the UAE and want people to know how peaceful all the nationalities that live here are. That’s why I’m doing this walk, to bring attention to the peaceful nature of the UAE and its people.”
He said the UAE is “a model for Arab and Muslim countries to follow so they too can have peace in their land”.
