Pakistan, Sept. 23 -- Lieutenant General (retd) Nauman Mahmood has been selected as the first secretary general of the Makkah Defence Alliance. The alliance brings together Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye. His appointment marks the start of the alliance's planned secretariat structure.

The Foreign Office announced the appointment on Wednesday, September 23. It said Mahmood will head the alliance's general secretariat. The secretariat is being established in Riyadh to support the alliance's work.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye signed the joint defence agreement in Makkah on August 7, 2026. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended the signing. Their foreign ...