Pakistan sends fighter jets to Saudi Arabia under mutual defense pact

Pakistan has sent fighter jets and other military forces to Saudi Arabia to boost security under a defense pact between the two countries, the Saudi defense ministry said on Saturday, as Islamabad hosted talks aimed at ending the Iran war.

Saudi Arabia's defense 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 defense 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 Monday had raised concerns in Pakistan that the Gulf kingdom might retaliate, potentially jeopardizing 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 defense 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 Friday to demonstrate economic support for the country, a source familiar with the situation said.

In 2018, Riyadh announced a $6 billion support package for Pakistan, including a $3 billion deposit at the central bank and $3 billion worth of oil supplies on deferred payment.