Pakistan rejects Reuters report on Saudi troop deployment

Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has rejected a Reuters report about the country’s military deployment under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, describing details in the report as speculative and based on unidentified sources.

The ministry said operational details related to the implementation of the collective defence arrangement remain confidential. It also urged the public and media to rely on official statements issued by Pakistan’s Foreign Office and other relevant authorities rather than reports based on unnamed sources.

The response came after a Reuters report claimed that Pakistan had deployed between 30,000 and 40,000 troops to Saudi Arabia to help protect the kingdom’s land borders and assist with countering drone and missile threats. The report, citing an unnamed Pakistani official, also said Islamabad had not decided to deploy troops to Yemen for combat operations.

In its statement, the information ministry reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the security of Saudi Arabia and the protection of the Haramain Sharifain in Makkah and Madina. It described this commitment as non-negotiable.

The ministry criticised what it called unverified figures and details, saying official authorities should be consulted for information concerning the defence agreement.

The development came shortly after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye agreed to move ahead with measures to implement their collective defence commitments. The decision was taken during an emergency meeting of the Strategic-Political and Defence Committee of the Makkah defence framework in Riyadh on October 5.

The committee directed the three countries to take necessary steps for providing agreed military forces and capabilities and ensuring their rapid deployment in Saudi Arabia. The measures are to be carried out according to previously approved arrangements and the national laws of the three countries.

Officials said the move is intended to improve military readiness, strengthen coordination among the three countries and enhance their collective ability to respond to security threats.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye formally established the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement on August 7. The trilateral arrangement is aimed at strengthening defence cooperation, collective deterrence and regional security.

The agreement comes against the backdrop of continuing instability in the Middle East and security threats faced by Saudi Arabia. Houthi forces have previously carried out missile and drone attacks against Saudi military installations, airports, energy facilities and other strategic locations.

Saudi Arabia has also faced attacks on critical energy infrastructure in recent years. The 2019 attacks on the Abqaiq oil-processing facility and Khurais oil field temporarily disrupted a significant portion of the kingdom’s crude production.

More recently, concerns have again increased over attacks targeting Saudi territory. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye have subsequently reiterated their commitment to collective security, particularly following reported attacks linked to the Houthis.

On September 25, senior military officials from the three countries condemned attacks targeting Makkah and reaffirmed their commitment to protecting Saudi Arabia under the defence agreement.

Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman also discussed regional security threats with Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir. Both sides reaffirmed cooperation against threats targeting Makkah as well as Saudi civilian and economic infrastructure.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has also stressed Islamabad’s commitment to implementing the agreement and supporting Saudi Arabia in the event of aggression.

The Makkah pact builds on years of military cooperation between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and expands the relationship into a trilateral security framework involving Türkiye.

The agreement provides for collective deterrence and broader defence cooperation. It also establishes the principle that an armed attack against one member would be treated as an attack against all three, subject to the agreement’s provisions and national legal frameworks.