Pakistan Says Its Forces in Saudi Arabia Will Not Enter Yemen, No Parliament Vote for Now
Pakistan's Foreign Office said on 9 October 2026 that its forces in Saudi Arabia will not cross into Yemen and need no Parliament vote for now. What it said.
Pakistan's forces in Saudi Arabia will not cross into Yemen to attack the Houthis, and their deployment does not need a vote in Parliament for now. The Foreign Office spokesperson said both things at the weekly briefing on Friday 9 October 2026, answering questions that earlier official statements had left open.
The answers matter because Pakistan has agreed with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye to deploy forces quickly in the Kingdom under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement. Until 9 October, no official statement had said where those forces could operate or how the decision is taken inside Pakistan.
We read the full briefing transcript published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Questions on Saudi Arabia came from at least six journalists. Here is what the spokesperson said, in plain words, and what is still not public.
The forces will defend Saudi territory, not enter Yemen
Asked whether Pakistani forces in Saudi Arabia could engage Houthi forces in Yemen, the spokesperson said the Makkah Alliance "is a defensive organisation". In his words, "these forces would not cross the border into Yemen to launch attacks against the Houthis".
He said the forces would be used "to defend the country's territory and safeguard its sovereignty", meaning Saudi Arabia's. The Houthis are an armed group that controls much of northern Yemen.
He also repeated that reports of Pakistani fighter jets taking part in strikes against the Houthis are false. The information ministry had already called one such report "fake and fabricated" on 8 October, as our report on the PAF jets denial explains.
No Parliament vote for now, the Foreign Office says
Two journalists asked whether Parliament would vote. One noted that Parliament voted in 2015 against joining the Saudi-Yemen conflict. The spokesperson said "governments make decisions in accordance with their own rules of business".
He said "the agreement has been signed, and the deployment is already in place, based on our previous agreements as well". If there is a need to take the matter to Parliament, "that would be a different matter", he added. "As of now, the decisions are fully covered under the law and the applicable rules of business."
He rejected the idea that the decision was one-sided. He called it a whole-of-government approach, and said the alliance's Strategic Political and Defence Committee is headed on Pakistan's side by the Deputy Prime Minister and attended by the Defence Minister, both members of Parliament and the Cabinet.
Pakistani troops have been in Saudi Arabia since 1982
The spokesperson gave a short history. Since 1982, he said, Pakistan's armed forces have been present in Saudi Arabia "in one capacity or another", sometimes under logistics arrangements and sometimes as training missions. After the bilateral Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement with Saudi Arabia was signed last year, there was "again some deployment".
Pakistan "already has a substantial number of forces, as well as resources, in Riyadh", he said. How many more go, and when, is for the alliance and its headquarters to decide. The member countries then make their contributions.
| Question | Foreign Office answer, 9 October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Will forces attack the Houthis in Yemen? | No, they will not cross into Yemen |
| Did PAF jets strike the Houthis? | Reports are false |
| Will Parliament vote? | Not for now, rules of business apply |
| Are troops already there? | Yes, a substantial number in Riyadh |
| Who decides more deployment? | The alliance and its headquarters |
The background: attacks on Saudi Arabia and a 5 October decision
The spokesperson opened the briefing by saying Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had that day strongly condemned "the repeated Houthi terrorist attacks against Saudi Arabia". Pakistan had already condemned an attack on a power station in Madinah on 2 October.
On 5 October in Riyadh, the foreign ministers, defence ministers and military chiefs of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye met as the alliance's committee. They agreed to move towards practical implementation of collective defence, as set out in our report on the rapid deployment decision. The spokesperson said a Secretary-General for the alliance has been announced, without naming the person.
- September 2026: Pakistan condemns drone attacks on Saudi Arabia.
- 2 October: Pakistan condemns the attack on a Madinah power station.
- 5 October: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye agree on rapid deployment.
- 8 October: Pakistan calls a report of PAF strikes on the Houthis fake.
- 9 October: the Foreign Office rules out operations in Yemen for now.
What this means for Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia
The spokesperson called the attacks "a matter of great concern" for Pakistan, because about 2.5 million Pakistanis live in the Kingdom. He said a Pakistani truck driver in Yemen had been killed in a drone attack, and that so far there have not been many casualties.
Travel has already been hit. PIA has suspended flights to Riyadh, as our report on the Riyadh flight suspension covers. Workers and pilgrims should keep the embassy's emergency numbers saved and register with the mission.
- Save the Riyadh embassy and Jeddah consulate emergency lines.
- Check PIA and the Saudi airline before going to any airport.
- Ignore claims about Pakistani forces that do not come from the Foreign Office, the information ministry or ISPR.
Common questions
Are Pakistani troops fighting the Houthis in Yemen?
No, according to the Foreign Office. On 9 October it said the forces are defensive and will not cross the border into Yemen.
Will Pakistan's Parliament vote on sending troops to Saudi Arabia?
Not for now. The spokesperson said the decision is covered by law and the rules of business, and Parliament would be a different matter if needed.
How long have Pakistani forces been in Saudi Arabia?
Since 1982 in one form or another, the spokesperson said, including logistics and training missions, with more deployment after last year's defence agreement.
What is the Makkah Alliance?
It is the defence arrangement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement. The Foreign Office calls it a defensive alliance.
How many Pakistanis live in Saudi Arabia?
About 2.5 million, the Foreign Office spokesperson said on 9 October 2026.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked on 10 October 2026 at about 8:40pm PKT. We read the Ministry of Foreign Affairs transcript of the spokesperson's press briefing of Friday 9 October 2026, including every question on Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the Makkah Alliance. The number of troops, their units and the name of the alliance's Secretary-General were not given. Claims made inside journalists' questions are not repeated here as fact.
About the author
Global Affairs & Political Economy Writer
Muhammad Hatim is a book lover who started writing because he enjoys it. At Pakistan Era he writes about international relations, geopolitics and the global economy, with a particular interest in South Asia and the forces behind current events.
