A COUP AT THE BEGINNING

In this chapter, Sheikh Mohammed talks about the coup attempt that happened in Sharjah just two months after the UAE was established. He recalls how he dealt with the situation and the reward he received from Sheikh Zayed.

The first attempt to destabilise the UAE politically came soon after the Union was declared. A coup attempt was made in Sharjah just two months after the UAE was established and I was given the responsibility to handle the situation. Sheikh Zayed was very serious when he spoke to me. “Mohammed, end this quickly,” he said.

Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed bin Saqr Al Qasimi was the ruler of Sharjah since 1965 and participated in the meetings that resulted in establishing the Union. He signed the temporary constitution on December 2, 1971, and made Sharjah a part of the UAE.

I received information about the coup, but did not know who was leading it. I issued orders to cut the electricity to the palace. I contacted the palace and one of the guards answered. I asked him who he was and he replied he was a guard of Sheikh Saqr bin Sultan, “the ruler of Sharjah”. That’s when I came to know who was leading the coup. The coup leader was Sheikh Saqr bin Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi, the former ruler of Sharjah, who was known for his nationalist orientation.

Sheikh Zayed ordered me to act quickly to avoid any supplies Sheikh Saqr might get from any other parties. With forces from Abu Dhabi and Dubai, I went to the palace and started negotiating with Sheikh Saqr. I told him: “If Sheikh Khalid is safe, I will prepare a plane to take you to any other country you like, but if Sheikh Khalid is harmed, I will take you to Sheikh Zayed, who will decide what to do with you.”

He didn’t talk for a moment and then said that Sheikh Khalid was killed. I told him: “You have only five minutes to surrender.” He and his son exited the palace with their militants and we seized their weapons.

I met Sheikh Zayed after that in his car, and he handed me some dates and a cup of coffee. These seemed like the best reward I had ever received in my life. In what he is calling his “incomplete biography”, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has broken his latest book, Qissati (My Story), into 50 chapters, narrating 50 stories in his 50 years of serving the nation. Khaleej Times got a signed copy of the book from the Dubai Ruler and every day, we will be featuring excerpts from each of the 50 chapters.