ISLAMABAD: Pakistan rejected an international media report alleging that Pakistan Air Force aircraft were deployed against Yemen’s Houthis under a trilateral defense agreement with Saudi Arabia and Turkey, dismissing the claims as “fake and fabricated.”
The information ministry shared a screenshot of the October 7 report on X, which cited an unnamed source claiming PAF fighter jets were conducting strikes against the Houthi militia amid its escalating conflict with Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan maintains a bilateral defense pact with Saudi Arabia, signed in September 2023, alongside the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement with Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed in August. Both agreements stipulate that an attack on one member constitutes an attack on all.
Despite these arrangements, the Pakistani information ministry denied deploying PAF aircraft against the Houthis and urged international media to refrain from “speculative reporting.”
“NYT above referred story attributing employment of PAF aircraft against Houthis is fake and fabricated,” the ministry stated on X.
“International Media houses are again asked to avoid speculative reporting with regards to employment of Pakistan’s Military Forces under Makkah Joint Defense Agreement,” it added.
“Details of any employment, if necessary will be given by concerned authorities.”
Pakistan has historically provided military support to Saudi Arabia, including training and advisory deployments, while Riyadh has repeatedly provided financial support to Islamabad during economic crises.
A Pakistani military spokesman confirmed this week the presence of Pakistani troops in Saudi Arabia as part of the recently signed trilateral defense alliance.
“I can confirm that we, the forces of Pakistan, are already there [in the Kingdom]. That I can assure you,” Pakistan’s Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told CNN.
“Yeah, Pakistani troops have been there for decades, in multiple capabilities. They have been there for decades in Saudi Arabia,” he said when asked about deployment under the Makkah defense pact.
Chaudhry stated the trilateral defense alliance was not something that emerged from “a vacuum.”
“There is a sustained diplomatic, political, military and people-to-people relationship between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye,” he explained.
“So I can share with you that the Pakistani forces, in multiple capabilities and domains, are already there [in the Kingdom].”
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