Pakistan deploys troops to Saudi Arabia under Mecca pact

Pakistan has deployed military personnel to Saudi Arabia under the recently signed Mecca Joint Defence Pact. Pakistan military spokesman Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry confirmed that Pakistani troops are currently serving in Saudi Arabia in “various roles and fields”.
A meeting of the Mecca defence alliance’s Strategic-Political and Defence Committee was held in Riyadh on October 5 to discuss Saudi Arabia’s security situation and threats. The announcement came days after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye agreed on specific troop deployments and military assistance.
The move follows repeated drone and missile attacks by Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen on civilian and economic infrastructure in Saudi Arabia in recent weeks. At the October 5 meeting, senior officials from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye jointly rejected any attack or threat against Saudi Arabia’s security and territorial integrity.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed the Mecca Joint Defence Pact in the holy city of Mecca on August 7, 2026. Under the pact, an armed attack on any member state will be considered an attack on all three countries. The alliance is being viewed as a major new joint security arrangement in the region.
In an interview with CNN, Lieutenant General Chaudhry confirmed that Pakistani military personnel were already in Saudi Arabia.
Asked whether Pakistani troops had been deployed under the Mecca defence alliance, he said Pakistani soldiers had been stationed in Saudi Arabia for decades in various roles and professional capacities.
Pakistan has long provided Saudi Arabia with military support, including training and advisory assistance. Riyadh, in turn, has provided financial support to Islamabad several times during economic crises.
The two countries also signed a separate bilateral defence pact in September last year. Under that agreement, Pakistan deployed 8,000 troops, a squadron of fighter jets and an air-defence system to Saudi Arabia, Reuters reported in May.
Lieutenant General Chaudhry stressed that the trilateral defence alliance had not emerged suddenly.
He said Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye had longstanding diplomatic, political and military ties, as well as strong people-to-people relations.
He added that Pakistani forces were already operating in Saudi Arabia across various military fields and areas of expertise.
Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing two officials, that Türkiye was also sending mainly defensive and technical support to Saudi Arabia as part of efforts to counter the Iran-backed Houthis.
Türkiye, which has the second-largest military in NATO and a strong defence industry, has strongly condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia alongside Pakistan. It has also agreed to join the Saudi-led coalition to help ensure safe shipping in the Red Sea.