Pakistan’s military has long worn several hats: defender, kingmaker, and critics argue mercenary. Its latest move? A Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement with Saudi Arabia pledging that an attack on one is an attack on both. Behind this public pact lies a history of military deployment for hire. In 1970, under Zia-ul-Haq, Pakistani forces intervened in Jordan’s Black September, helping suppress Palestinian fighters at an enormous human cost. 

Pakistani pilots once flew Saudi jets during Yemen conflicts, and some accounts even hint at involvement in the 1979 Grand Mosque seizure. Decades later, the new pact continues that trajectory offering Saudi Arabia defense guarantees, strategic support, and perhaps even nuclear cover. But critics see more than alliance: they see commodification of military power. They argue Pakistan uses its armed forces like a cash-driven asset, siding with whoever pays. 

For Islamabad, it’s an economic lifeline; for Riyadh, a protector; for the region, a shift in power balance. The question remains who controls the watchmen when armies are for hire?