On Monday, Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir ordered an immediate dispatch of 8,000 troops to Riyadh under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, a pact signed last August with Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
The agreement, formalised in 2025, had already seen Pakistan station 8,000 soldiers in Saudi Arabia by May of that year, but this is the first time the clause to bring in troops has been activated amid escalated Houthi strikes.
Munir, who rose to the rank of field marshal in 2025 after a controversial tenure as the ISI’s director‑general, now enjoys a lifetime appointment and immunity from prosecution, a package that critics say cements the army’s grip on the state.
The move has drawn sharp criticism from the Pakistan Tehreek‑e‑Insaf, whose jailed former prime minister Imran Khan accused the army of tightening its hold over politics, and a protest in Islamabad erupted demanding a review of the pact.
The next week, the Defence Ministry will brief the National Assembly on the operational logistics, while Saudi officials are set to meet the Pakistani delegation for a joint strategy session.