Lt Gen (Retd) Nauman Mahmood Appointed First Secretary General of Makkah Defence Pact

Islamabad: Lieutenant General (retired) Nauman Mahmood has been appointed the first Secretary General under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, Pakistan’s Foreign Office announced on Wednesday.

According to the Foreign Office, Lt Gen (retired) Nauman Mahmood will lead the alliance’s General Secretariat, which is being established in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

The appointment follows an agreement by the three countries to establish a secretariat under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement. The secretariat is initially to be headed by a Pakistani Secretary General for a three-year term.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in Makkah on August 7, 2026. The pact provides that an armed attack against any one of the three member states would be regarded as an attack against all three.

The three countries subsequently agreed to institutionalise their cooperation through the establishment of a permanent secretariat and to strengthen collective defence capabilities and coordination among their armed forces.

The appointment of a Pakistani retired senior military officer as the alliance’s first Secretary General marks a new step in establishing the institutional framework for the trilateral defence agreement.