Pakistan faces deeper Yemen war involvement as Saudi defense ties tighten

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Pakistan faces Yemen war pressure

Highlights

Pakistan solidified defense ties with Saudi Arabia via the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in August, committing to provide military support after renewed Houthi attacks.
Riyadh’s $3 billion bailout and $5 billion central bank deposit now comprise about 38% of Pakistan's reserves, intensifying Islamabad's economic dependence on Saudi Arabia.
Expanded Pakistani military involvement in Yemen faces rising domestic opposition and risks undermining Islamabad's mediation role with Iran amid persistent regional security tensions.

Defense commitments and operational uncertainty

As reported by Financial Times, Saudi Arabia's renewed confrontation with Iran-backed Houthi forces is testing Pakistan's long-standing military relationship with Riyadh after the kingdom earlier stepped in with a $3 billion bailout for Islamabad.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to Saudi Arabia's sovereignty, territorial integrity and security after a missile strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed 13 people and wounded hundreds on Saturday. A separate strike on the same facility on Sunday killed a Pakistani national.

Pakistan has long supplied troops and military trainers to Saudi Arabia, and after the April bailout it delivered a squadron of fighter jets and pilots to help protect the kingdom from Iranian missiles and drones. Islamabad had hoped its mediation efforts, including work on a ceasefire between Iran and the U.S., would help it avoid direct involvement in a renewed Yemen campaign.

That position is becoming harder to sustain. In August, Pakistan renewed its security commitments to Saudi Arabia through the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, which also drew in Turkey, after a bilateral pact signed last year between Islamabad and Riyadh. Last week, the signatories said Islamabad and Ankara would provide the agreed military forces and capabilities after the Houthis resumed attacks on Saudi oil installations and tankers and advanced along the Red Sea coast, including the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Pakistan's military says it will go to any extent to defend Saudi Arabia and the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Still, the scale of any direct Pakistani role remains unclear. A spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition said 100 fighter jets took part in an air campaign against the Houthis last week, but neither Islamabad nor Ankara has confirmed whether their pilots were involved. Pakistan's armed forces say they cannot confirm or deny operational details, while one person in Islamabad briefed on the matter says Pakistan has provided support to the joint operation without specifying personnel or equipment.

Financial leverage and domestic political risks

Pakistan brings substantial military capacity, with more than 660,000 soldiers and about 400 fighter and ground-attack aircraft, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Its arsenal includes JF-17 aircraft developed with China, U.S.-made F-16s and combat and surveillance drones, some produced with Turkey.

But analysts say Islamabad's choices are shaped as much by economics as by military capability. Alongside the $3 billion emergency loan, Riyadh has extended a $5 billion deposit at Pakistan's central bank for three years, together amounting to about 38% of Pakistan's reserves. Workers in Saudi Arabia also sent home $9.78 billion in remittances last year, reinforcing the kingdom's importance to Pakistan's fragile finances.

At the same time, a broader Yemen role carries domestic political risks. Public opposition to open military involvement is widespread, and many Pakistanis, including within the country's large Shia minority, view Iran as a force resisting the U.S. and Israel. Pakistan previously resisted Saudi requests for warships, aircraft and ground troops in Yemen in 2015, when parliament unanimously backed neutrality.

This time, analysts say there is little sign of a comparable public debate. The government of Shehbaz Sharif has a weak political base and depends on military backing, while the details of Pakistan's defense agreements with Saudi Arabia have not been made public or presented to parliament. Analysts also warn that deeper involvement in Yemen could damage Islamabad's mediation role with Iran and add to domestic discontent as border violence with Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and internal militancy remain serious security pressures.

Our earlier coverage of DBS CEO Tan Su Shan’s message on Singapore’s stability explained how the city-state is being positioned as a predictable hub for investors and companies navigating geopolitical shocks and supply-chain disruption across Asia. It also noted DBS’s focus on helping clients diversify exposure quickly, while highlighting Singapore’s strong sovereign credit profile and institutional support as key pillars of confidence.

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