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Pakistan has officially deployed fighter jets to Saudi Arabia under a mutual defense pact between the two countries.
Some shit you should know before you dig in: Back in September, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a mutual defense pact that committed both countries to treat any aggression against either nation as an attack on both. The agreement significantly deepened a decades-old security partnership between the two countries (Pakistan has historically provided military support to the kingdom through training and advisory deployments, while Saudi Arabia has repeatedly bailed Pakistan out financially during periods of economic strain). There has been some talk that Saudi officials are pissed with Pakistan for not doing more to protect them from Iranian attacks in the early days of the conflict. Notably, Iranian strikes have caused significant damage to key Saudi energy infrastructure and have killed a Saudi national.
What’s going on now: Saudi Arabia’s defense ministry confirmed Saturday that an undisclosed number of Pakistani fighter jets and support aircraft had landed at King Abdulaziz Air Base in the kingdom’s Eastern Province. A senior Pakistani government official told Reuters the aircraft were “not there to attack anyone,” framing the move as a show of solidarity rather than a combat deployment. Four days before the jets touched down, Prime Minister Sharif called Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to pledge Pakistan would stand “shoulder to shoulder” with the kingdom.
Some say the deployment is less about battlefield capability and more about sending a message to Iran. Michael Kugelman of the Atlantic Council told Al Jazeera that the move was “a bit of a risky gambit,” saying Pakistan was signaling to Iran that if a deal falls apart and the conflict resumes, Pakistan could move closer to Saudi Arabia and get involved militarily.
All of this is unfolding while Pakistan is hosting US and Iranian negotiators who are working toward a possible end to the conflict.
