Pakistan last week sent thousands of military personnel and equipment , such as fighter jets, to Saudi Arabia, as part of a defence pact signed between the two countries in 2025.
The military aircraft, a mixture of fighter and support jets, landed at the King Abdulaziz Air Base in the country’s Eastern Province on Saturday, the Saudi defence ministry said.
The move was the first visible military move as part of the agreement signed between Islamabad and Riyadh in September of last year , and came as the Pakistani capital hosted ceasefire negotiations between the US and Iran aimed at bringing an end to the war , which began at the end of February.
But why did Pakistan deploy military personnel to the oil-rich Gulf country?
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have enjoyed close and friendly relations since the 1960s, and are bound by religious, economic, and cultural ties. Saudi Arabia has frequently boosted Pakistan’s economy with investments and loans, and has contributed massively to the country’s religious education, financing mosques and other Islamic institutions.
The Gulf kingdom is also home to an expatriate Pakistani community of over 2.5 million, whose remittances play a large role in boosting the South Asian country’s fragile economy.
Riyadh has also intervened in several political crises concerning Pakistan. Last year, Saudi Arabia helped diffuse tensions between Pakistan and its neighbour, India.
Pakistan has often been dubbed Saudi Arabia’s closest non-Arab ally, with Islamabad calling ties with the kingdom its "most important bilateral partnership".
Militarily speaking, Pakistan has trained thousands of Saudi soldiers over the decades.
Ties were strengthened even further following the 2025 Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) . The accord stipulates that both countries will treat any act of aggression against one as an act against both.
The agreement came days after Israel’s airstrikes on Qatar amid the war in Gaza, which targeted Hamas’ leadership, which in turn heightened security concerns in the Gulf.
Despite this, the SMDA, however, was viewed as a "political sign of solidarity and strategic cooperation" rather than "an unconditional war guarantee". How can Pakistan’s military deployment be understood? Saturday’s move has been interpreted as a reinforcement of the pact and a diplomatic commitment to Saudi Arabia, as it hosted Iran and the US for ceasefire negotiations. The move can also be seen as subtle messaging to Iran to be "flexible" in negotiations, despite Pakistan’s strong ties with Tehran, while signalling that Islamabad may ultimately align with Saudi Arabia under the 2025 defence pact in the event of conflict or diplomatic breakdown.
Days earlier, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif assured Saudi Arabia that his country would stand "shoulder to shoulder" with its Gulf ally, while on the day of the military forces’ deployment, Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jaadan met with the Pakistani premier and other officials. Pakistan’s role in the Iran-US-Israel war Since the war broke out in late February, Pakistan has sought to play a balancing act between Washington and Tehran , as well as Riyadh, as it mediated between the warring parties.
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar stressed to Tehran that Pakistan was bound by the agreement to Riyadh, amid the war’s spillover, which saw Iran launch attacks in the Gulf in response to the US-Israeli assault.
This came in the context of Iran seeking reassurance that Saudi Arabia will not allow the use of territory and airspace to attack the country - something that Dar said was conveyed by Pakistan.
Saudi Arabia had told Tehran earlier in March that while it favours a diplomatic settlement to Iran's conflict with the United States, continued attacks on the kingdom and its energy sector could push Riyadh to respond.
The message was conveyed before a speech in which Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian apologised to neighbouring Gulf states for Tehran’s actions in a move interpreted as an attempt to defuse regional anger over Iranian strikes that hit civilian targets. A number of Saudi-located infrastructure was attacked by Iran , chiefly the US embassy in the capital. The attacks and the subsequent fallout also saw a disruption to Saudi Arabia’s oil production.
As part of the pact and the intensification of the war, Pakistan’s top military official, Asim Munir, visited Riyadh to discuss ways to put a stop to the attacks.
Pakistan has now gone on to successfully broker a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran, and will undoubtedly seek to mediate further between the two following the collapse of talks in Islamabad over the weekend, which were aimed at putting a complete end to the war.
Given the unpredictability of events and its aim to navigate between all parties, Pakistan could be tested, but will likely aim to honour its defence pact with Saudi Arabia.