ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has a “substantial” number of forces deployed in Saudi Arabia acting in a defensive capacity, Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesman said on Friday.

“From Pakistan already we have substantial number of forces as well as resources in town, in Riyadh,” foreign ministry spokesman Sajjad Haider Khan told journalists, adding Pakistani military personnel in the kingdom “would not be crossing the borders of the other side for an attack on the Houthis, but of course (is acting) in the defense of the territory.”

Pakistani military spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry earlier confirmed the deployment of Pakistani forces to Saudi Arabia under the recently signed Makkah Joint Defense Agreement, saying Pakistani soldiers were discharging duties in the Kingdom in “multiple capabilities and domains.”

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye signed the defense agreement in Makkah on Aug. 7, 2026, which committed the three countries to treat an armed attack on one member as an attack on all, marking one of the region’s most significant new collective security arrangements.