ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military confirmed on Wednesday that it has troops in Saudi Arabia under a collective defence arrangement, but withheld their numbers and operational capabilities.
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry discussed the presence in an exclusive interview with CNN. He described those operational details as classified.
While declining to discuss possible operations across the border in Yemen, Chaudhry characterised any involvement as “defensive in nature”. He said Pakistani personnel had maintained a presence in the kingdom for decades.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye agreed on Monday to implement their collective defence commitments immediately. After an emergency meeting in Riyadh, they announced plans to deploy military forces and capabilities rapidly to the kingdom.
Chaudhry described the Mecca Alliance as an arrangement under which an attack on one member constitutes an attack on all.
Meanwhile, Colonel David O. Smith estimated that about 8,000 Pakistani troops had been deployed to Saudi Arabia. He previously served as a US Army attaché in Pakistan and as a senior analyst at the Defence Intelligence Agency.
Read: Pakistan Denies NYT Report of PAF Strikes on Houthis
His estimate included air force and army air-defence personnel. Smith expected them to help protect Saudi oil infrastructure, while considering direct ground combat unlikely.
A senior Pakistani military official separately told the New York Times that Pakistan Air Force (PAF) jets were striking Yemen’s Houthis. He spoke anonymously to discuss operations.
Read: Pakistan Warns Iran: Houthis’ Attacks on Saudi Arabia a Red Line
However, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting rejected that account on Thursday, calling it fabricated.
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation blamed Tuesday’s Abha airport attack for two deaths and 28 injuries. Saudi authorities attributed another death and eight injuries to Wednesday’s attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for both attacks. Meanwhile, the US Mission in Saudi Arabia warned American citizens that the conflict could escalate. Chaudhry added that Pakistan continued to seek a negotiated end to the US-Iran war.
