Pakistan has appointed Lieutenant General (retd) Nauman Mahmood as the first Secretary General of the Makkah Defence Alliance, marking a key step toward establishing the institutional structure of the trilateral defense arrangement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.
The appointment was announced by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday. According to the Foreign Office, Lt Gen (retd) Nauman Mahmood will lead the General Secretariat of the alliance, which is being established in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The appointment follows an agreement reached by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye to institutionalize their cooperation under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement. At the first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee in Istanbul on August 31, the three countries agreed to establish a permanent secretariat in Saudi Arabia, initially headed by a Pakistani Secretary General for a three-year term.
The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was signed in Makkah on August 7 by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. The pact provides that an armed attack against any one of the three countries will be regarded as an attack against all three, in accordance with the principle of individual and collective self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter. Pakistan’s Foreign Office has described the agreement as defensive in nature and said it is intended to strengthen collective deterrence and the three countries’ ability to respond to external aggression.
The arrangement subsequently moved toward a more formal alliance structure. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced on August 31 that the pact would be known as the Makkah Defence Alliance, with its secretariat to be established in Riyadh and its first Secretary General to come from Pakistan.
The agreement goes beyond the mutual-defense provision. The three countries have also agreed to strengthen defense capabilities and military cohesion through joint activities, deeper defense-industry cooperation, and joint technology development and production. The Strategic Political and Defence Committee, comprising the foreign and defense ministers and senior military leadership of the three countries, provides a mechanism for coordinating this cooperation.
Lt Gen (retd) Nauman Mahmood brings extensive military experience to the new post. According to details published following his appointment, he was commissioned into the Pakistan Army in 1987 and served in a number of command and staff positions. He commanded formations in South Waziristan, Kashmir and North Waziristan, served as chief of staff at XI Corps headquarters and later headed the National Defence University in Islamabad. He also served as Director General of the Analysis Directorate at Inter-Services Intelligence and commanded XI Corps before retiring in 2023.
His appointment comes as the three countries move from the signing of a broad defense agreement toward creating the mechanisms required to implement it. The Riyadh-based General Secretariat is expected to provide the institutional framework for coordination among the three members, while the Strategic Political and Defence Committee will continue to serve as a high-level forum for political and military cooperation.
The three countries have said the alliance is not directed against any particular state and is based on principles including respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in domestic affairs. Türkiye has also said the framework could remain open to participation by other friendly countries that accept its principles.
With a Pakistani retired three-star general appointed as its first Secretary General, the next phase of the Makkah Defence Alliance will center on translating the agreement’s broad commitments into permanent institutional arrangements, defense coordination and practical cooperation among Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.
