Pakistan Backs Saudi Arabia.. Can It Make an Impact in the Fight Against the Houthis?

In 2015, Saudi Arabia asked Pakistan to send fighter jets, naval vessels and ground troops to fight the Houthis in Yemen. The request triggered five days of intense debate in the Pakistani Parliament, with opposition parties warning that deploying troops could drag Pakistan into a wider regional conflict. On April 10, 2015, Parliament unanimously decided that Pakistan would remain neutral in the Yemen war. However, Islamabad pledged to support Saudi Arabia if its territorial integrity or the sanctity of Mecca and Medina came under threat. The situation has changed significantly since then, with Saudi-Pakistan ties growing closer and the joint defence pact involving Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye gaining importance. Under the arrangement, an armed attack on one country is treated as an attack on the other members, making the Houthi drone and missile attacks a major test of the pact.

Despite the considerable military capabilities of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye, confronting the Houthis in Yemen would not be straightforward, analysts say. The Houthis have used the mountains, valleys, caves and underground facilities of northern Yemen to their advantage, while relying on mobile missile launchers, drones and a decentralised command structure. Saudi-led coalition airstrikes since 2015, along with subsequent US and British strikes, have failed to completely eliminate the Houthis’ missile and drone capabilities. As a result, Pakistani and Turkish assistance could focus on strengthening Saudi air defence, intelligence capabilities, Red Sea security and support for Yemen’s government forces rather than deploying large ground forces. A full-scale ground offensive could make the conflict considerably more complicated. While Pakistan now appears positioned to play a more significant role in Saudi defence than it did in 2015, analysts caution that military power alone is unlikely to provide a lasting solution to the Houthi conflict.