ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military deployment in Saudi Arabia is strictly defensive and its forces will not cross into Yemen to launch attacks against Houthi fighters, the Foreign Office said on Friday.
Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said Pakistan had a substantial number of troops and resources stationed in Saudi Arabia, including in Riyadh, as part of its defence cooperation with the Kingdom.
“Our forces would not be crossing the borders to attack the Houthis in Yemen,” the spokesperson told journalists in Islamabad, emphasising that their role was to defend Saudi territory and protect its sovereignty.
The spokesperson also dismissed reports that Pakistani fighter jets were operating in Yemen, describing the claims as baseless. Pakistan’s information minister had also rejected the reports.
Pakistan-Saudi defence cooperation remains defensive
The Foreign Office spokesperson said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had signed a defence cooperation agreement last year. A recent meeting involving three countries also resulted in an understanding that suitable personnel and resources would be provided according to operational requirements.
He said the trilateral arrangement was defensive in nature and intended to protect the participating countries against external aggression.
Any deployment of allied forces would focus on safeguarding the territories and sovereignty of the countries concerned, rather than conducting cross-border attacks, he added.
The relevant organisation would determine the scale, timing and location of deployments, while member states would contribute personnel and resources in line with their respective requirements.
The spokesperson noted that Pakistani military personnel had been stationed in Saudi Arabia under various arrangements since 1982. Their role has included logistical assistance, training missions and other forms of military cooperation.
Pakistan raises security concerns over Afghanistan
The Foreign Office spokesperson also addressed concerns regarding militant groups operating from Afghan territory, reiterating that terrorism remained a critical national security challenge for Pakistan.
He said Islamabad believed that the previous year’s joint statement did not adequately reflect its legitimate security concerns. Pakistan’s position, he added, was that any diplomatic document addressing the issue must accurately represent the situation on the ground.
The spokesperson stressed that terrorism was not simply a matter of diplomatic language for Pakistan but a fundamental concern involving national security.
However, he maintained that the absence of a joint statement should not undermine the importance of continued dialogue between the countries.
Pakistan rejects India’s renaming of places in Kashmir
Separately, the Foreign Office strongly criticised India’s reported attempts to rename locations in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, calling the unilateral measures illegal.
The spokesperson said including disputed territories on maps and changing the names of locations amounted to geographical aggression and could not establish a legitimate legal claim over the region.
He maintained that unilateral mapping and renaming measures violated United Nations Security Council resolutions and could not alter the internationally disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir.
No unilateral action by India, he added, could undermine the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination.
Pakistan maintains that the people of Jammu and Kashmir should be allowed to exercise this right through a process conducted under United Nations supervision.
