Pakistan has ‘substantial’ number of forces in Saudi Arabia: Foreign Ministry

Pakistan has deployed “substantial” number of military forces and resources in Saudi Arabia, the Foreign Ministry said Friday, Anadolu reports.

“Pakistan already has a substantial number of forces, as well as resources, in Riyadh,” Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan told reporters in Islamabad, according to an official transcript of his news conference.

Khan stressed the Mecca pact between Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia “is a defensive organisation… an alliance intended to defend the three countries against aggression.”

“Therefore, these forces would not cross the border into Yemen to launch attacks against the Houthis. However, they would, of course, be utilised to defend the country’s territory and safeguard its sovereignty,” he explained.

The new Mecca Alliance was formed on Aug. 7 by Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, followed by a series of steps by its three member states to institutionalize the agreement.

However, Khan said it was up to the alliance organization “to assess the threat perception and operate in accordance with its own mandate.”

Before the trilateral Mecca pact was signed, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had signed a bilateral defense agreement last September, following which “there has again been some deployment,” said Khan, the ministry spokesman.

Earlier Wednesday, Pakistani military spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told CNN: “The Pakistani troops have been there for decades in multiple capabilities.”

Chaudhry said Pakistani forces were already present in Saudi Arabia across multiple domains but declined to disclose troop numbers or operational capabilities, citing their sensitive nature.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman Khan added: “Since 1982, the Pakistan armed forces have been present in Saudi Arabia in one capacity or another, sometimes under logistical arrangements and sometimes as part of training missions.”

The remarks came after Islamabad rejected a New York Times report claiming Pakistani fighter jets were conducting strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.

“We have been a very honest broker. The neutrality comes from honesty,” the Pakistani army spokesman said.

After the US and Israel launched war on Iran early this year, Pakistan mediated a ceasefire in April and later hosted high-level talks and secured June 18 Islamabad MoU between Washington and Tehran.