Pakistan has ‘substantial’ forces deployed in Saudi Arabia, says foreign ministry

Pakistan's foreign ministry has confirmed the presence of a significant number of military personnel and resources in Saudi Arabia, deployed to safeguard the kingdom in the event of an attack, according to a statement made on Friday. Foreign Ministry spokesman Sajjad Haider Khan did not disclose whether the deployment has expanded since the signing of a trilateral defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Turkey in August, which obligates the three nations to support each other if one is targeted.

However, Khan clarified that the Pakistani forces in Saudi Arabia would not breach the borders of the other party in response to an assault on the Houthi rebels, but would indeed defend the nation's territory. The Houthi militia in Yemen has been launching missile strikes against Saudi Arabia, including an attack on Riyadh's international airport on Thursday, resulting in the deaths of three people.

The conflict between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government has escalated, with the Iran-aligned fighters carrying out repeated assaults on Saudi targets since the commencement of a swift military operation across the border by Saudi Arabia. Khan did not provide specifics on any additional deployments of Pakistani troops since the intensification of the Saudi conflict, stating that the extent, timing, and location of any further deployments would be determined by the trilateral alliance, headquartered in Riyadh and led by a retired Pakistani general.

It is worth noting that Pakistani forces have been stationed in Saudi Arabia consistently since the 1980s, including after the signing of a bilateral agreement between the two countries in 2025.