Pakistan deployed 8,000 troops, a Chinese air defence system and warplanes to Saudi Arabia: Report
Pakistan has deployed 8,000 troops, a fighter jet squadron and a Chinese air defence system to Saudi Arabia as part of its mutual defence pact with the kingdom, Reuters reported on Monday.
The deployments, which enhance the number of Pakistani troops and military assets in the kingdom, began in early April, Reuters reported.
Pakistan has deployed a squadron of around 16 aircraft, mostly JF-17 warplanes, which it produces jointly with China. In addition, it has deployed an HQ-9 Chinese air defence system.
The presence of sophisticated Chinese weaponry in Saudi Arabia overlaps with high-tech US-made systems operating in the country. Saudi Arabia has Patriot and Thaad air defence systems. In fact, the kingdom has the largest stockpile of Patriot interceptors in the Gulf.
The US-Israeli war on Iran has put a spotlight on Saudi Arabia’s defence pact with Pakistan, which was signed in September 2025, following Israel’s attack on Hamas negotiators in Doha, Qatar.
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Iran responded to the US-Israeli attack by launching thousands of drones and missiles against the Gulf states. During the early weeks of the war, some Saudi commentators raised the defence pact with Pakistan, saying it placed them under the latter’s nuclear umbrella.
A US official told Middle East Eye that Islamabad had become wary of some of this language and discussed it with Saudi Arabia.
The deployment of military assets underscores how Islamabad tried to address Saudi Arabia’s security concerns. Reuters reported that the agreement left open the possibility of deploying 80,000 Pakistani troops to Saudi Arabia to secure the kingdom’s borders.
The agreement also involves the deployment of Pakistani warships, although Reuters could not verify if they had reached the kingdom.
The Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed by competing Iranian and US blockades. Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast is accessed from the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait, where the Houthis have previously attacked vessels.
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have historical security ties, which have come under focus amid the war on Iran. Islamabad mediated a ceasefire between the US and Iran in April.
Saudi Arabia supported the negotiations, and after the UAE pulled a $3bn loan to Pakistan in response to its hosting of the talks, Riyadh extended a financial lifeline to the South Asian country.
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have discussed broadening their security pact to include Turkey. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has leaned on Pakistani arms to try to pull some regional actors out of the UAE’s orbit.
MEE reported in April that Pakistan delivered five cargo planes of weapons to Libya's eastern government, led by military ruler Khalifa Haftar, as part of a deal financed by the kingdom.
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