Retired Lt Gen Nauman Mahmood appointed Makkah defence pact secretary general
He will head the alliance's general secretariat being set up in Riyadh, the Foreign Office said.
Pakistan has appointed retired Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood as the first secretary general of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, the trilateral defence pact that Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye signed in August 2026. The Foreign Office announced the appointment, saying Mahmood will head the alliance's general secretariat being set up in Riyadh.
The appointment is the first institutional move under the agreement, Aaj News reported, and it advances the process of operationalising the pact's administrative structure. Mahmood has been decorated with the Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military). UrduPoint also reported the government's announcement of his selection.
The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was signed on 7 August 2026 in Makkah. Its stated aim is to strengthen collective defence, security and defence cooperation among the three countries. The Foreign Office said the agreement is defensive in nature and is not directed against any country; its purpose is to improve collective defence capability and mutual cooperation against external aggression.
A central clause of the agreement states that an armed attack on any one of the three signatories will be regarded as an attack on all of them. The signatories also agreed to expand cooperation across various defence fields.
The general secretariat being established in Riyadh will function as the central liaison and administrative structure for defence cooperation and joint matters among Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye. Mahmood, as its first secretary general, will lead that structure. The reports did not specify when Mahmood will assume the role.
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