An army personnel stands guard at the Red Zone area ahead of anticipated US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad on 20 April 2026. [Getty]
Pakistan has deployed 8,000 troops, a squadron of fighter jets and an air defence system to Saudi Arabia under a mutual defence pact, ramping up military cooperation with Riyadh even as Islamabad serves as the main mediator in the Iran war, according to an exclusive Reuters report published on Monday.
The report said the deployment was confirmed by three security officials and two government sources, all of whom described it as a substantial, combat-capable force intended to support Saudi Arabia’s military if the kingdom comes under further attack.
Pakistan’s military and foreign office and Saudi Arabia’s government media office did not respond to requests for comment on the deployment.
The full terms of the defence agreement, signed last year, are confidential, but both sides have said it requires Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to come to each other’s defence in the event of an attack. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has previously implied that it places Saudi Arabia under Pakistan’s nuclear umbrella.
According to the sources, Pakistan has deployed a full squadron of around 16 aircraft, mostly JF-17 fighters jointly developed with China, to Saudi Arabia in early April. Two of the security officials said Pakistan had also sent two squadrons of drones.
All five sources told Reuters the deployment includes around 8,000 troops, with a pledge to send more if needed, as well as a Chinese HQ-9 air defence system. The equipment is operated by Pakistani personnel and financed by Saudi Arabia, they said.
The military and air force personnel deployed during the Iran conflict will primarily have an advisory and training role, according to two security officials, who said they had seen exchanges between the two countries and documents on the deployment of military assets.
The deployment adds to the thousands of Pakistani troops with a combat role who were already stationed in the kingdom under previous agreements, all three security officials told Reuters.
One of the government sources, who has seen the text of the confidential defence pact, said it provides for the possibility of up to 80,000 Pakistani troops being deployed to Saudi Arabia, to help secure the kingdom’s borders alongside Saudi forces.
Two of the security officials said the agreement also involved the deployment of Pakistani warships.
Reuters was not able to determine whether any had reached Saudi Arabia.
The scale and composition of the deployment—combat aircraft, air defences and thousands of troops—mean Pakistan has sent far more than a symbolic or advisory mission, the sources said.
This took place before Islamabad emerged as the war’s principal mediator, helping to broker a ceasefire between Washington and Tehran that has held for the past six weeks and continues to serve that role.
