Information ministry rubbishes 'fake and fabricated' NYT report claiming use of PAF aircraft against Houthis

The information ministry on Thursday rubbished what it said was a "fake and fabricated" report by The New York Times claiming that Pakistan Air Force (PAF) aircraft had been used against the Houthis amid the group's escalating conflict with Saudi Arabia. The New York Times report published on October 7 cited an unnamed source as claiming that PAF fighter jets were being deployed against the Houthis amid tensions between the group and Saudi Arabia. Sharing a screenshot of the NYT report in a post on X, the ministry stated that it was "fake and fabricated". The ministry added that international media houses were "again asked to avoid speculative reporting with regards to employment of Pakistan's military forces under Makkah Joint Defence Agreement". 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 | 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 ▪️ NYT above referred story attributing employment of PAF aircraft against Houthis is fake and fabricated. International Media houses are again asked to avoid speculative reporting… pic.twitter.com/tqSZPNL01X — Fact Checker MoIB (@FactCheckerMoIB) October 8, 2026 It further said that details of any employment, if necessary, would be given by the "concerned authorities". The statement also came a day after Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that Pakistani troops were present in Saudi Arabia in "multiple capabilities" amid the kingdom's conflict with Yemen's Houthis and developments related to it. Read: Makkah pact: DG ISPR says Pakistani troops present in Saudi Arabia in 'multiple capabilities' In an interview with CNN, the military spokesperson was questioned about whether Pakistani military personnel were present in the kingdom as part of the Makkah Defence Alliance, to which he said: "I do confirm that the forces of Pakistan are already there ... the Pakistani troops have been there for decades in multiple capabilities." On August 7, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye formalised their longstanding strategic relationship through the newly signed Makkah pact, a trilateral security framework that its proponents describe as a defensive arrangement aimed at strengthening collective deterrence, enhancing military cooperation and promoting regional stability. In a major development that may have far-reaching implications for the region, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye activated the practical implementation of their collective defence commitments on Monday. According to a joint statement issued on Monday night, the activation entailed immediate deployment of "the agreed military forces and capabilities to the kingdom in response to security threats". The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the Strategic-Political and Defence Committee of the alliance, held in Riyadh to discuss the security developments and threats facing Saudi Arabia. On Tuesday, the information ministry also rejected what it described as “speculative” Reuters reporting on the pact, saying operational details on implementing the collective deterrence mechanism were confidential. The ministry’s statement followed a Reuters report published on October 2, which said Pakistan had deployed between 30,000 and 40,000 troops to Saudi Arabia to help defend the kingdom’s land borders and assist with drone and missile interceptions, citing a Pakistani official. Reuters reported that Islamabad had not decided to send troops into Yemen in a fighting capacity. Houthi attacks Houthis have repeatedly carried out missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia since the Yemen war escalated in 2015, targeting military installations, airports, oil facilities and other critical infrastructure. In September 2019, the group claimed responsibility for drone attacks on Saudi Aramco’s Abqaiq processing facility and Khurais oil field, attacks that temporarily disrupted more than half of Saudi Arabia’s crude production. The attacks continued in subsequent years, including strikes on Saudi energy infrastructure in March 2022. More recently, Houthi attacks have again targeted Saudi territory. In September, the group claimed missile and drone strikes on a Saudi military base and other targets, while Saudi authorities reported attacks affecting several cities. It is worth noting that on September 25, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye senior military leadership strongly condemned attacks targeting the holy city of Makkah as they reaffirmed their commitment to the collective defence of the Kingdom under the Makkah pact. Read More: Makkah defence alliance agrees to 'rapid force deployment' in Saudi Arabia: FO Significance of the Makkah pact The Makkah pact was the latest step in longstanding military and strategic cooperation between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye. Signed in Makkah, the pact established a framework for collective deterrence and stipulated that an armed attack on any one of the three countries would be considered an attack on all three, while providing for wider cooperation across defence. The agreement followed nearly a year of negotiations and came amid heightened instability across the Middle East. Turkiye and Pakistan had sought closer regional security cooperation, while Saudi Arabia had faced growing security concerns as conflicts spread across the region, threatening its territory, energy infrastructure and ambitious economic development plans. For Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the trilateral pact is built on their Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement signed in September 2025. That agreement stated that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both” and committed the two sides to strengthening defence cooperation and joint deterrence.