Pakistan deploys fighter jets to Saudi Arabia under defence pact
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A satellite image shows smoke billowing at a Saudi Aramco oil facility after a reported attack, in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia, on April 8.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Pakistan sent fighter jets to Saudi Arabia to strengthen defence cooperation following Iranian strikes on Saudi facilities.
- The deployment aims to reassure Riyadh and support regional stability under a 2025 mutual defence pact.
- Saudi Arabia's financial support for Pakistan continues, with Mohammed Al-Jadaan visiting to demonstrate economic support.
AI generated
ISLAMABAD/DUBAI - Pakistan has sent fighter jets and other military forces to Saudi Arabia to boost security under a defence pact between the two countries, the Saudi defence ministry said on April 11, as Islamabad hosted talks aimed at ending the Iran war.
Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry said in a statement that Pakistani fighter jets and support aircraft had arrived at the King Abdulaziz Air Base in the country’s eastern province.
It said the Pakistani deployment aimed to strengthen joint defence cooperation and support regional and international security and stability.
The planes were sent after Iranian strikes hit key energy infrastructure and killed a Saudi national, three sources, including a senior Pakistani government official, told Reuters.
They were “not there to attack anyone”, said the Pakistani official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
An Iranian strike on Saudi Arabia’s sprawling Jubail petrochemicals complex on April 6 had raised concerns in Pakistan that the Gulf kingdom might retaliate, potentially jeopardising the Iran peace talks, the three sources said.
The Pakistani deployment aimed to reassure Riyadh that Islamabad would help defend the kingdom from any further attacks, the sources said.
The Saudi government media office and Pakistan’s military did not respond to requests for comment.
Decades-old security partnership
Riyadh and Islamabad signed a mutual defence pact in September 2025, committing both sides to treat any aggression against either country as an attack on both. That significantly deepened a decades-old security partnership.
Pakistan has long provided military support to the kingdom, including training and advisory deployments, while Saudi Arabia has repeatedly stepped in to support Pakistan financially during periods of economic stress.
Saudi Arabia’s finance minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan was in Pakistan on April 10 to demonstrate economic support for the country, a source familiar with the situation said.
In 2018, Riyadh announced a US$6 billion support package for Pakistan, including a US$3 billion deposit at the central bank and US$3 billion worth of oil supplies on deferred payment. REUTERS
