Pakistan deploys troops, jets to Saudi Arabia under defence pact

A Pakistani military contingent comprising around 13,000 soldiers and 10 to 18 jets has reached Saudi Arabia as part of a joint strategic defence agreement signed last year, the Gulf Kingdom announced on Saturday.

The military contingent's deployment to King Abdulaziz Air Base in the Eastern Sector includes fighter jets and support aircraft from the Pakistan Air Force, according to a statement from Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defence.

The deployment aimed to enhance joint military coordination, improve operational readiness between the armed forces of the two countries, and support security and stability at regional and international levels, it added.

A Pakistan government official also confirmed sending troops and jets to Saudi Arabia as part of the two countries' strategic defence agreement, under which any attack on one country would be considered an attack on another.

 

Expert on international affairs Mohammad Mehdi told PTI that Pakistan had sent aircraft and troops to Saudi Arabia last month, but the news has been broken only now by the Saudi authorities.

"At least 13,000 Pakistani soldiers and 10 to 18 fighter jets landed in Saudi Arabia. As many as 10,000 soldiers are already present in Saudi Arabia. And this arrangement has been made under the defence pact between the countries," Mehdi said.

He said Pakistani soldiers and fighter jets are there only for the defence of Saudi Arabia.

Another official who spoke with PTI said that Pakistan had also sent missile interceptors to Saudi Arabia last month amid Iran's attack on the American bases in the Gulf.