ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's Foreign Office has confirmed that the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) with Saudi Arabia is "operational" and that Pakistani forces have already been deployed to the Kingdom under the pact, while declining to disclose further details due to operational confidentiality .
Pakistan Foreign Office on Pakistan-Saudi Defence Pact REVEALS BIG 🇵🇰🇸🇦
- Zard si Gana (@ZardSi) September 17, 2026
“Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement was signed last year. There have been operational deployments, as the Saudi side said earlier. We would not want to comment further, as it is an operational matter.” pic.twitter.com/xcbnxqJjjY
Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan, addressing his weekly media briefing on Thursday, confirmed that Pakistan has made "some deployments" in Saudi Arabia under the bilateral defence agreement signed in September 2025 .
"On SMDA, of course it was signed last year... There were some deployments also of forces there. And since it's an operational matter, I would not comment beyond that."
The spokesperson stated that Pakistan remains committed "in intent and spirit" to implementing both the SMDA and the trilateral Makkah Joint Defence Agreement with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, but emphasized that operational details must remain confidential .
"However, when, how, where and what force will be used against what objectives, in which modes and matters - operational confidentiality requires us to be discreet at this stage."
Khan described the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement as "purely defensive in nature" and clarified that it is "neither directed against any country nor constitutes formally as a new bloc" . He said the trilateral pact formalizes and strengthens ongoing cooperation in training, capacity building, defence technologies, and research .
The agreement, signed on August 7, 2026, in Makkah by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, stipulates that an armed attack against any one of the three countries will be considered an attack against all three .
The Foreign Office statement comes amid escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, including an attempted drone strike targeting Makkah that was intercepted by Saudi air defences on Tuesday evening . The Houthis have denied responsibility for the attack .
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attempted attack, saluting the "extraordinary vigilance, courage, and professionalism" of the Royal Saudi Armed Forces and reaffirming Pakistan's unwavering support for Saudi Arabia and the Haramain Sharifain .
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had earlier stated that Pakistan is "bound" to defend Saudi Arabia under the Makkah pact if the Kingdom faces aggression, declaring there should be "no doubt" about Pakistan's commitment . He described the agreement as a three-way pact involving Türkiye, meaning its provisions apply to all three signatories .
The Foreign Office, however, has consistently emphasized that operational details regarding "when, how, where, and what force will be used" remain confidential .
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