Pakistan military pledges full defence of Saudi Arabia against any aggression

September 18, 2026 at 06:00 PM2 min

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Pakistan's military has pledged to defend Saudi Arabia against aggression "to any extent," Lieutenant-General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told Arab News on Thursday. Chaudhry stressed that Pakistani forces are already deployed to protect the kingdom and Islam's two holiest sites. The assurance comes as questions swirl over Pakistan and Turkiye's stance on Riyadh's fight with the Houthis following recent mutual defence pacts.

Key Facts

Lieutenant-General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, director-general of the Pakistani military's media wing, pledged that Pakistan will defend Saudi Arabia against aggression "to any extent."
Pakistani forces are already deployed to protect the kingdom and Islam's two holiest sites in Mecca and Medina.
The Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement, signed by Riyadh and Islamabad in September 2025, treats aggression against either country as an attack on both.
Pakistan deployed fighter and support aircraft to Saudi's King Abdulaziz Air Base in April after the kingdom came under attack by Iran and its allies.
Pakistan and Turkiye signed a mutual defence pact as part of the Mecca Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement last month, but the pact has yet to be made operational.

The Pledge

Lieutenant-General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, director-general of the Pakistani military's media wing, told the Saudi newspaper Arab News on Thursday that Islamabad stands with Saudi Arabia diplomatically and physically. "I would like to underscore here the word 'physically'," Chaudhry said, adding, "We will go to any extent." Pakistani forces are already deployed to protect the kingdom and Islam's two holiest sites, in Mecca and Medina, he added. Chaudhry did not say whether Riyadh had requested more Pakistani troops or direct involvement against the Houthis.

Defence Pacts

The Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement, signed by Riyadh and Islamabad in September 2025, says that aggression committed against either country would be regarded as an attack on both. Invoking this bilateral agreement, Pakistan deployed fighter and support aircraft to Saudi's King Abdulaziz Air Base in April, after the kingdom came under attack by Iran and its allies. Alongside Turkiye, the pair then signed off on a mutual defence pact as part of the Mecca Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement last month, but the pact has yet to be made operational. Unprovoked aggression against Saudi Arabia, or a spillover of the Yemen conflict into the kingdom, would trigger the pact, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said earlier this month, without sharing specific details.

Regional Mediation

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said the Mecca pact works like NATO's collective defence clause, with the country under attack requesting help from its treaty allies. Pakistan and Turkiye are also anxious to remain mediators in the conflicts roiling the Middle East, and are therefore believed to be unenthusiastic about direct involvement in hostilities. Chaudhry stressed that Pakistan continues to work with regional partners towards "a negotiated, peaceful outcome" to the regional crisis triggered by the United States and Israel war on Iran.