ISLAMABAD – Pakistan appointed Lieutenant General (retd) Nauman Mahmood, Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military), as the first Secretary General of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement (MJDA), marking a significant development in the establishment of the newly formed defence alliance.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the appointment was formally announced on September 23, 2026, with Lt Gen Nauman Mahmood entrusted with the responsibility of leading the alliance’s General Secretariat in Riyadh.
The Foreign Office announced that Lt Gen Nauman Mahmood will serve as the inaugural Secretary General pursuant to the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement and will oversee the secretariat being established in the Saudi capital.
The appointment places a senior Pakistani military figure at the helm of the alliance’s central administrative structure as member states move forward with putting the agreement’s institutional framework into operation.
Lt Gen Nauman Mahmood’s appointment also underscores Pakistan’s prominent role in the formation and organisational development of the Makkah defence framework, with the General Secretariat in Riyadh set to serve as the alliance’s central coordinating body.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the government of Pakistan has formally approved and announced his appointment as the first Secretary General of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.
