DG ISPR Confirms Pakistani Troops Deployed in Saudi Arabia Under Makkah Defence Pact

In a major development with far-reaching implications for the region, Pakistan’s military spokesperson has publicly confirmed what had long been discussed behind closed doors: Pakistani forces are on Saudi soil, serving in multiple roles, as the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement moves into its operational phase.

What DG ISPR Actually Said

The confirmation came during a CNN interview on Wednesday. When asked directly whether Pakistani military personnel were present in the kingdom as part of the Makkah defence alliance, the military spokesperson didn’t dodge the question.

He went further, describing the presence as spanning “multiple domains” — a phrase that covers everything from training and advisory roles to air defence and technical support. He was careful not to give numbers. Pakistan has not disclosed how many troops are currently stationed in the kingdom, nor their specific roles.

Perhaps the most telling line: the Makkah pact, he said, was not born out of a “vacuum.” There is, in his words, “a sustained diplomatic, political, military and people-to-people relationship between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye.”

The Timeline: How We Got Here

This didn’t happen overnight. The road to this moment stretches back months — and in some ways, decades.

Why Now: The Houthi Factor

The immediate trigger is no secret. Yemen’s Houthis — aligned with Iran — have escalated attacks on Saudi targets in recent weeks. Drones and missiles have been aimed at civilian and economic infrastructure. The group claimed strikes on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, an Aramco oil refinery in Rabigh, and a Saudi airbase, though Riyadh hasn’t officially confirmed every claim.

Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman put it bluntly on X: the emergency meeting reaffirmed the “solidarity and unity” of the three countries in confronting what he called the Houthis’ “heinous attacks against the Kingdom and the holy sites.”

The mention of holy sites matters. Any threat — real or perceived — to Makkah and Madinah changes the calculus entirely in Pakistan, where the security of the Haramain Sharifain is treated as non-negotiable across the political spectrum.

The 30,000–40,000 Troops Question

Here’s where things get murky. On October 2, Reuters reported — citing a Pakistani official — that Pakistan had deployed between 30,000 and 40,000 troops to Saudi Arabia to help defend land borders and assist with drone and missile interceptions. The same report said Islamabad had not decided to send troops into Yemen in a fighting capacity.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting pushed back within days. In a formal statement, it urged against relying on “highly speculative reports based on non-attributable and unknown sources.” Operational details, it said, were confidential.

But the ministry also reiterated something important: Pakistan’s commitment to the security of Saudi Arabia and the Haramain Sharifain is “non-negotiable.”

So where does that leave the numbers? Unconfirmed. DG ISPR’s own statement neither confirmed nor denied specific figures — he simply confirmed presence. For now, the honest answer is: troops are there, the exact count is not public.

Turkiye’s Role: Support, Not Boots (Yet)

The third partner in the pact is playing a different game. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said Turkiye is “assessing” its assistance to Saudi Arabia under the agreement — focused on defensive and technical support rather than a large troop deployment.

This fits Turkiye’s broader posture. Ankara has been trying to balance its role as a defence partner with its diplomatic positioning in the wider regional conflict. Technical support — air defence systems, intelligence sharing, training — is valuable without the political weight of boots on the ground.

Back Home: Rare Political Unity

One of the more striking aspects of this story is the domestic response. Pakistan’s usually fractious political landscape has, at least temporarily, aligned behind the deployment. Politicians across party lines, civil society voices and the public have rallied behind the Shehbaz Sharif government and the armed forces on this one.

That unity isn’t accidental. The Saudi relationship runs deep in Pakistan — millions of Pakistani workers in the kingdom, decades of military cooperation, and the religious significance of the holy sites. When it comes to Saudi Arabia’s security, the debate in Pakistan tends to be about how, not whether.

Internationally, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio backed Saudi Arabia’s right to defend itself against Houthi attacks — a signal that Washington, despite its own complicated regional entanglements, isn’t opposing the arrangement.

What This Means for Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia

Around 2.7 million Pakistanis live and work in Saudi Arabia — the largest Pakistani diaspora community anywhere in the world. For them, this news lands differently than it does in Islamabad’s policy circles.

The reassuring part: Pakistani forces in the kingdom are there in a defensive capacity. The pact is explicitly framed as collective defence, not an expeditionary war. There is no indication of Pakistani troops entering Yemen.

The concerning part: escalation is unpredictable. Houthi attacks have already disrupted flights and targeted economic infrastructure. Pakistani workers should stay in touch with the Pakistani embassy and consulates in Riyadh and Jeddah, and follow official advisories.

Remittances are another angle worth watching. Saudi Arabia is Pakistan’s single largest source of remittances. Any prolonged instability could affect the flow of money that millions of Pakistani families depend on.

What’s Next

The pact has now moved from paper to practice — that much is clear. The October 5 joint statement spoke of “immediate” implementation, and the DG ISPR’s confirmation suggests the machinery is already turning.

What to watch in the coming days and weeks:

Troop numbers. Will Pakistan eventually disclose figures, or keep them classified? The Reuters 30,000–40,000 claim hangs in the air, neither confirmed nor fully denied.

Turkiye’s next move. “Assessing” is doing a lot of work in Ankara’s statements. If Houthi attacks intensify, pressure will grow for Turkiye to move from technical support to something more concrete.

The Houthi response. The whole point of collective deterrence is to make attacks too costly to continue. Whether the Houthis are deterred or provoked remains the open question.

Iran’s reaction. The Houthis are Iran-aligned, and Tehran will be watching this trilateral bloc closely. Pakistan has historically tried to balance its Saudi and Iranian relationships — this deployment tests that balance.

One thing is certain: the Makkah pact is no longer a theoretical framework discussed in conference rooms. It is now an operating reality, with Pakistani boots on Saudi ground and the region watching every move.