Nauman Mahmood Named First Secretary General of Makkah Defence Pact

Pakistan has appointed retired Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood, Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military), as the first secretary general under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, placing him at the head of the new alliance secretariat being established in Riyadh. The Foreign Office announced the appointment on Wednesday, marking another step in building the institutional structure of the defence framework involving Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye.

The three countries signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement at Al-Safa Palace in Makkah on August 7, 2026. The pact establishes a framework for collective defence cooperation and provides that an armed attack against one participating state will be treated as an attack against all three. Officials from the member countries have described the arrangement as defensive and have said it is not directed against another country.

Work on the alliance's institutional structure continued later in August when senior political, defence and military representatives from the three countries met in Istanbul for the inaugural session of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee. That meeting approved the establishment of a General Secretariat in Saudi Arabia and provided for Pakistan to nominate the first secretary general for a three-year term.

Mahmood is a former senior Pakistan Army officer who previously commanded the Peshawar-based XI Corps and later served as president of the National Defence University in Islamabad. His military career and experience in senior command and strategic institutions will now be brought into the administrative leadership of the newly created alliance secretariat.

The Foreign Office said the secretary general will lead the General Secretariat in Riyadh. The secretariat is expected to support coordination among the participating states and the implementation of institutional arrangements established under the defence agreement. The appointment gives Pakistan responsibility for providing the inaugural head of the body as its administrative structure is being put into operation.

The agreement also provides a platform for expanded defence cooperation among Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye. Discussions connected to the framework have included joint activities, defence-industry cooperation and collaboration in technology development and production. These areas are expected to remain part of the alliance's agenda as its committees and secretariat move from initial establishment toward regular functioning.

For Pakistan, the appointment comes as Islamabad deepens defence and strategic coordination with Riyadh and Ankara through the trilateral framework. The immediate practical task will be establishing the Riyadh secretariat, developing its working procedures and coordinating implementation of decisions taken by the alliance's political and defence bodies.

The public announcement did not provide detailed information about the secretariat's staffing, internal command arrangements or timetable for becoming fully operational. Further decisions from the three participating governments are therefore expected as the alliance develops its administrative mechanisms and begins implementing the commitments contained in the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.