ISLAMABAD – Pakistan has picked Lieutenant General retired Nauman Mahmood, Hilal-e-Imtiaz (M), as the first Secretary General of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement (MJDA), placing the former senior army officer at the centre of the newly established defence framework involving Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.
The appointment was formally announced by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on September 23, 2026. Lt Gen (retd) Nauman Mahmood will lead the alliance’s General Secretariat in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as the three founding members move to establish the agreement’s institutional structure.
But who is the retired three-star general now tasked with heading the alliance’s central secretariat?
Who is Nauman Mahmood?
Nauman Mahmood joined the Pakistan Army in September 1987 and belongs to the Baloch Regiment. He rose through the ranks during a military career spanning more than three decades and was promoted to lieutenant general in April 2019.
He went on to hold several senior command and staff appointments, including command of XI Corps in Peshawar from 2019 to 2021. His career also took him to General Headquarters, where he served as Inspector General of the Communication and Information Technology Branch.
Nauman Mahmood also has experience associated with the Directorate General of Inter-Services Intelligence (DG ISI), including an assignment linked to its Analysis function.
NDU Posting
One of his prominent post-command assignments was at the National Defence University (NDU), Islamabad, where he served as its 35th President from November 2021 to April 2023. His professional military education includes the Pakistan Command and Staff College, Command and Staff College Egypt and National Defence University Islamabad.
He has also been awarded the Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military) for his services.
Nauman Mahmood’s new assignment comes as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye build the institutional machinery of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement. The agreement was signed in Makkah on August 7, 2026, with Pakistan describing it as a defensive framework aimed at strengthening collective deterrence, sovereignty and regional security.
One of its key provisions states that an armed attack against one member will be regarded as an attack against all three, within the framework of individual and collective self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
The three countries subsequently moved to establish the agreement’s organisational structure. At their first Strategic Political and Defence Committee meeting in Istanbul on August 31, they agreed that the alliance’s first Secretary General would be a Pakistani and would serve an initial three-year term. Riyadh was selected as the location for the General Secretariat, and Nauman Mahmood has now formally taken up the inaugural position.
As the first Secretary General, Nauman Mahmood will head the Riyadh-based secretariat as the alliance develops its administrative and coordination mechanisms. Makkah framework also covers cooperation in defence industries, joint technology development and production, while seeking greater interoperability and coordination among the armed forces of the three member states.
The founding countries have said the arrangement is intended to contribute to regional peace, security and stability. Türkiye has also indicated that friendly countries could participate in the framework if they accept its principles.
For Pakistan, the appointment represents an early institutional leadership role in an alliance it helped establish alongside Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.
With a background that includes corps command, senior GHQ responsibilities, intelligence-related experience and leadership of the National Defence University, Lt Gen (retd) Nauman Mahmood will now become the first Pakistani to lead the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement’s central secretariat in Riyadh.
Lt Gen (retd) Nauman Mahmood Appointed First Secretary General of Makkah Joint Defence Agreement
