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Pakistan has a “substantial” number of forces deployed in Saudi Arabia in a defensive capacity, the Foreign Ministry said Friday, as Islamabad reaffirmed its commitment to the kingdom’s security under the Mecca alliance with Türkiye and Saudi Arabia.
“From Pakistan already we have substantial number of forces as well as resources in town, in Riyadh,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Sajjad Haider Khan told journalists.
He did not specify whether the deployment had grown under the defense pact signed this year by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.
Khan said Pakistani military personnel in the kingdom “would not be crossing the borders of the other side for an attack on the Houthis,” but were acting “in the defense of the territory.”
Yemen’s Houthis have launched repeated aerial attacks against Saudi Arabia, including strikes on Riyadh’s international airport Thursday that killed three people.
Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye in August, committing the three countries to assist one another if any of them comes under attack.
Khan declined to say whether new Pakistani deployments had been made since Saudi Arabia’s conflict with the Houthis intensified.
He said “how much and when and where” forces would be deployed would be decided by the trilateral alliance, which is headquartered in Riyadh and led by a retired Pakistani general as secretary-general.
Khan said Pakistani forces had been deployed in Saudi Arabia regularly since the 1980s, including after the signing of a bilateral agreement between Islamabad and Riyadh in 2025.
The conflict between the Houthis and Yemen’s Saudi-backed government has widened, with the Iran-backed group launching repeated attacks on Saudi targets since beginning a rapid offensive across the border.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday reiterated Islamabad’s commitment to Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, condemning Houthi attacks on the kingdom.
Sharif made the statement after the Houthis targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Abha International Airport, causing deaths and injuries among civilians.
He praised what he called the “vigilance and professionalism” of Saudi armed forces and coalition forces in intercepting ballistic missiles and protecting civilians.
“Pakistan stands in unwavering solidarity with the leadership and people of our brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Sharif wrote on X.
“In line with the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, and recent decisions taken by its Strategic Political and Defense Committee, our commitment to the Kingdom’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and security is resolute,” he said.
“We also fully support Saudi Arabia’s legitimate right to defend its people and protect its cities and vital infrastructure,” he added.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said Thursday that it intercepted and destroyed three ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis toward Riyadh and Khamis Mushait.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed the group targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with a ballistic missile, saying the strike disrupted air traffic.
“The Houthi militia must immediately cease these attacks,” Sharif said.
“We will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with Saudi Arabia in the face of these threats,” he added.
The Mecca pact was signed Aug. 7 by Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
The three countries have since taken a series of steps to institutionalize the agreement, including through the Strategic Political and Defense Committee.
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