Info ministry rejects NYT report claiming PAF jets being used against Houthis
Pakistan’s Ministry of Information has rejected a New York Times report claiming that Pakistan Air Force jets are being used against Yemen’s Houthis, dismissing it as “fake and fabricated”. The denial, issued on Thursday evening, is the government’s first formal response to the American newspaper’s claim that PAF jets against Houthis had been deployed in combat.
“Details of any deployment, if necessary, will be given by the authorities concerned,” the ministry said, stopping short of saying what, if anything, Pakistani forces are doing in the region.
What the NYT report claimed
The New York Times reported that Pakistani fighter jets had carried out strikes against the Houthis, citing a senior Pakistani military official. A second official characterised the operation as air support meant to counter Houthi drone and missile threats, while ruling out any ground offensive inside Yemen.
The report landed in the middle of a fast-moving escalation. Over the past two days, Houthi attacks on Abha International Airport and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed three people, according to Saudi officials, prompting fresh warnings from the US mission in Saudi Arabia that the conflict could escalate further.
PAF jets against Houthis: the wider Saudi deployment question
The denial comes a day after Pakistan’s military publicly confirmed that Pakistani troops are stationed in Saudi Arabia. In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, the military’s media wing chief, Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, said: “The forces of Pakistan are already there.” He declined to give numbers or describe their capabilities, saying those details were classified.
That confirmation followed the October 5 meeting in Riyadh of the Makkah defence alliance, where Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye agreed on the rapid deployment of forces and capabilities in the kingdom. The three countries signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in August, under which an armed attack on one member is treated as an attack on all three. Pakistan’s top military and civilian leadership, including Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, attended the Riyadh meeting.
The government has been careful to separate a defensive deployment from combat operations. The information ministry’s statement keeps that line: no confirmation of any strikes, and a promise that any deployment details will come from the authorities concerned.
Why the timing matters
This is not the first time the ministry has had to swat down claims about Pakistani jets and the Houthis. On September 21, it dismissed as “absolutely fake” social media claims, which it attributed to Indian propaganda accounts, that Houthi missiles had struck King Abdulaziz Air Base in Saudi Arabia and damaged three PAF JF-17 aircraft.
The conflict itself flared in July, shortly after the US-Iran ceasefire unravelled, with Houthi missile attacks on Saudi oil facilities and tankers widening the Middle East war. Riyadh has answered with air strikes in support of Yemeni government forces.
For now, two accounts stand in direct conflict: the New York Times, citing unnamed Pakistani military officials, says PAF aircraft struck Houthi targets; the information ministry says that is fabricated. The story is likely to run until the “authorities concerned” decide to speak.
FAQ
Did Pakistan confirm that its jets struck Houthi targets?
No. The information ministry called the New York Times report “fake and fabricated” and said deployment details, if any, would be shared by the authorities concerned.
Has Pakistan confirmed any military presence in Saudi Arabia?
Yes. On October 7, Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told CNN that Pakistani forces are already in the kingdom, but he declined to specify their numbers or capabilities.
What is the Makkah defence agreement?
It is a mutual defence pact signed in August by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, under which an armed attack against one member is treated as an attack against all three. The three sides agreed on rapid force deployment at a meeting in Riyadh on October 5.
Has the ministry denied similar claims before?
Yes. On September 21, it dismissed as “absolutely fake” claims circulating on social media that Houthi missiles had damaged three PAF JF-17 aircraft at a Saudi airbase.
