Pakistan sends military force, fighter jets to Saudi Arabia

Pakistan has sent a military force and fighter jets to Saudi Arabia to boost security under a joint defence cooperation agreement between the two countries, the Saudi defence ministry said on Saturday.

The Saudi ministry, in a statement, wrote that a military force and fighter jets from Pakistan had arrived at the King Abdulaziz Air Base in its eastern province.

It added that the Pakistani deployment was aimed at “strengthening the joint defence cooperation agreement signed between the two brotherly countries”.

“The Pakistani force consists of fighter and support aircraft belonging to the Pakistani Air Force, with the aim of enhancing joint military coordination, raising the level of operational readiness between the armed forces of the two countries,” it continued.

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 Monday had raised concerns in Pakistan that the kingdom might retaliate, potentially jeopardising the Iran peace talks, the three sources said.

The Pakistani deployment was aimed at reassuring 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.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have long shared a multifaceted relationship rooted in strategic military cooperation, mutual economic interests, and shared Islamic heritage. These ties have encompassed economic assistance and energy supplies, with Riyadh being a significant source of financial aid and oil for Islamabad.

In September of last year, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed a “Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement” in Riyadh, pledging that any attack on either nation would be treated as an act of aggression against both.

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With input from Reuters