Pakistan has deployed 8,000 troops, a squadron of fighter jets ‌and an air defence system to Saudi Arabia under a mutual defence pact, ramping ​up military cooperation with Riyadh even as Islamabad serves as the main mediator in ⁠the Iran war.

The deployment, the full scale of which is reported here for the first time, was confirmed by three security officials and two government sources, all of whom described it as a substantial, combat-capable force intended to support ‌Saudi Arabia’s military if the kingdom comes under further attack.

Pakistan’s military and foreign office and Saudi Arabia’s government media office did not respond to requests for comment on the deployment. The ‌full terms of the defence agreement, signed last year, are confidential, but both sides have said ‌it ⁠requires Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to come to each other’s defense in the event ⁠of an attack. Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has previously implied that it places Saudi Arabia under Pakistan’s nuclear umbrella. According to the sources, Pakistan has deployed a full squadron of around 16 aircraft, mostly JF-17 fighters made jointly with China, which were sent ​to Saudi Arabia in early April. Two ‌of the security officials said Pakistan had also sent two squadrons of drones.

All five sources said the deployment includes around 8,000 troops, with a pledge to send more if needed, as well as a Chinese HQ-9 air defence system.

The equipment is operated by Pakistani personnel and financed by Saudi Arabia, ‌they said.

Thousands of troops

The military and air force personnel deployed during the Iran conflict will ​primarily have an advisory and training role, according to two of the security officials, who said they had seen exchanges between the two countries and documents on the military ⁠assets’ deployment.

The deployment adds to thousands of Pakistani troops with a combat role that were already stationed in the kingdom under previous agreements, all three security officials said.

One of the government sources, who has seen ‌the text of the confidential defence pact, said it provides for the possibility of up to 80,000 Pakistani troops being deployed to Saudi Arabia, to help secure the kingdom’s borders alongside Saudi forces. Two of the security officials said the agreement also involved the deployment of Pakistani warships. Reuters was not able to determine whether any had reached Saudi Arabia.

The scale and composition of the deployment — combat aircraft, air defences and thousands of troops — mean Pakistan has sent far more than a symbolic or advisory mission, the sources ‌said. Reuters previously reported that Pakistan had sent jets to Saudi Arabia after Iranian strikes hit key energy infrastructure and killed a ​Saudi national, raising concerns that the Gulf kingdom might retaliate heavily and widen the conflict.

This took place before Islamabad emerged as the war’s principal mediator, helping to broker a ⁠ceasefire between Washington and Tehran that has held for the past six weeks. Islamabad hosted the only round ⁠of U.S.-Iranian peace talks so far, and had planned further rounds which the sides called off. Reuters has since reported that Saudi Arabia launched numerous unpublicized strikes on Iran in retaliation for ‌attacks carried out inside the kingdom. Pakistan has long provided military support to Saudi Arabia, including training and advisory deployments, while Riyadh has repeatedly stepped in to support Islamabad financially during periods of economic ​stress.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister said the country’s nuclear programme “will be made available” to Saudi Arabia if needed under the countries’ new defence pact, marking the first specific acknowledgment that Islamabad had put the kingdom under its nuclear umbrella.

Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif’s comments late Thursday (September 18, 2025) night underlined the importance of the pact struck this week between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, which have had military ties for decades.

The move is seen by analysts as a signal to Israel, long believed to be the Middle East’s only nuclear-armed nation. It comes after Israel’s attack targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar last week killed six people and sparked new concerns among Gulf Arab nations about their safety amid the Israel-Hamas war that’s devastated the Gaza Strip and set the region on edge.

Speaking to Geo TV in an interview, Mr. Asif made the comments while answering a question on whether “the deterrence that Pakistan gets from nuclear weapons” will be made available to Saudi Arabia.

“Let me make one point clear about Pakistan’s nuclear capability: that capability was established long ago when we conducted tests. Since then, we have forces trained for the battlefield,” Mr. Asif said.

“What we have, and the capabilities we possess, will be made available to (Saudi Arabia) according to this agreement,” he added.

Also Read | Nuclear threat is Pakistan’s ‘stock-in-trade’: Centre 

The two countries signed a defence deal Wednesday declaring that an attack on one nation would be an attack on both.

Neither country has responded to questions about the pact and what it meant in regards to possibly accessing Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal.

Saudi Arabia has long been linked to Pakistan’s nuclear programme. Retired Pakistani Brigadier General Feroz Hassan Khan has said Saudi Arabia provided “generous financial support to Pakistan that enabled the nuclear programme to continue, especially when the country was under sanctions.”

Pakistan faced U.S. sanctions for years over its pursuit of the bomb, and saw new ones imposed over its ballistic missile work at the end of the Biden administration.

Pakistan developed its nuclear weapons programme to counter India’s atomic bombs. India is believed to have an estimated 172 nuclear warheads, while Pakistan has 170, according to the U.S.-published Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday (September 17, 2025) signed a defence pact under which any aggression against either country shall be considered as an act of aggression against both, according to media reports.

The ‘Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement’ was signed during Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s state visit to Riyadh, where he was received by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman at Al-Yamamah Palace, Geo News reported.

According to the Dawn newspaper, a statement from PM Sharif’s office announced the signing of the pact, which stated that any aggression against either country shall be considered an act of aggression against both.

“Building on a partnership extending nearly eight decades and grounded in bonds of brotherhood, Islamic solidarity and shared strategic interests, the two sides signed the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement,” a joint statement released after the signing ceremony said.

The pact reflects a joint commitment to enhance bilateral security ties and contribute to regional and global peace, the statement said.

“It aims to develop defence cooperation further and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression. Crucially, the agreement stipulates that any aggression against one country shall be considered aggression against both,” Geo News reported.

Also read: Pakistan, Saudi agree to elevate strategic partnership in July 2025

PM Sharif was earlier received by Riyadh Deputy Governor Muhammad bin Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz upon his arrival in the Saudi capital.

He is accompanied by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Environment Minister Musadik Malik and Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy a historic relationship, rooted in shared faith, values and mutual trust, and the visit will provide an important opportunity for the two leaders to consolidate this unique partnership while exploring new avenues of collaboration for the benefit of the peoples of the two countries, the Foreign Office had said ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit to the oil-rich kingdom.

This is his third visit to the Gulf region within a week. He earlier visited Qatar twice, on Thursday (September 11, 2025) and Monday (September 15, 2025), to express solidarity with Doha following Israel’s attack on the Hamas leadership in the Gulf country and to attend an emergency meeting of Arab-Islamic nations on the issue.