You will get some of the funds back at 3.5 years, but obviously your pot will have shrunk with all the fees and charges still being applied whilst you froze payments.
I was told you need to make 10 full years of payments just to break even on the fees and charges and for the fund to grow thereafter.
If you had been making large contributions in the UAE which you can no longer afford to make back home and you reduce your monthly payments, all fees are still charged at the higher contribution rate. Your fund cannot grow and you are just servicing more losses. This might be the deal breaker for you to consider?