Islamabad (GNP): Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has rejected a report claiming that Pakistan Air Force (PAF) aircraft are being used against Yemen’s Houthis, calling the story “fake and fabricated”.
The denial came on Thursday, a day after a US newspaper reported on October 7, citing an unnamed source, that PAF fighter jets were being employed against the group amid rising tensions between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia.
In its fact check, the ministry asked international media houses to avoid speculative reporting on the employment of Pakistan’s military forces under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.
This was the second rebuttal in a week. Earlier, the ministry described a wire report claiming that 30,000 to 40,000 Pakistani troops would be sent to Saudi Arabia as speculative. It said the operational details of collective deterrence are a matter of confidentiality, and that Pakistan’s commitment to the security of Haramain Sharifain and Saudi Arabia is non-negotiable.
The clarifications follow an emergency meeting of the Makkah Defence Alliance in Riyadh on Monday. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye agreed there to move towards the rapid deployment of military forces and capabilities in the kingdom. The pact, signed on August 7, aims to strengthen collective deterrence and treats an attack on one signatory as an attack on all.
According to the Foreign Office, the member states will take the necessary measures in line with approved arrangements and each country’s national legislation.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who was part of Pakistan’s delegation in Riyadh, said Saudi Arabia had made gains and recovered some areas in Yemen during the fighting. Asked about a possible operational role for Pakistan and Türkiye, he said both had a “presence in theatre”, but only Saudi troops were involved in combat operations.
On Wednesday, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry confirmed that Pakistani troops were stationed in Saudi Arabia and had been present “for decades” across multiple domains. On September 18, he had described Pakistan’s commitment to Saudi security as unconditional. Pakistan maintains that the alliance is defensive in nature.
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Meanwhile, the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen said on Thursday that three ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis towards Riyadh and Khamis Mushait were intercepted and destroyed.
The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) reported that Abha International Airport and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh were targeted in separate attacks on October 6 and 7. The attacks killed three people and injured dozens, and Muslim nations and regional organisations have condemned them as a grave violation of Saudi sovereignty.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said, “Details of any deployment, if necessary, will be given by the authorities concerned.”
Managing Editor at Global News Pakistan (GNP), with a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from Riphah International University, graduated with a Gold Medal. Reach out at sabahtareengnp@gmail.com
