Lt-Gen Nauman Mahmood appointed first secretary general of Makkah defence alliance

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday announced the appointment Lt-Gen (retd) Nauman Mahmood as the first secretary general of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.

“The government of Pakistan is pleased to announce the appointment of Lt-Gen Nauman Mahmood, Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military), as the first secretary general pursuant to the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.

The secretary general will head the general secretariat of the alliance, which is being established in Riyadh, it added.

The agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye was signed in Makkah in August, with the three countries agreeing to strengthen defence cooperation and mutual security arrangements.

Mahmood, a retired Pakistan Army lieutenant general, was commissioned into an infantry battalion in 1987 after graduating from the Pakistan Military Academy. He belongs to the Baloch Regiment and holds a master’s degree in War Studies.

He graduated from the Command and Staff College in Quetta, the Command and Staff College in Cairo and the National Defence University in Islamabad.

During his military career, Mahmood commanded a para brigade in South Waziristan and an infantry brigade in Kashmir. He also served as chief of staff at Headquarters XI Corps and as chief instructor at the Command and Staff College in Quetta.

As a major general, he commanded the 7 Infantry Division in North Waziristan and served as director general of the Analysis Directorate at Inter-Services Intelligence.

After being promoted to lieutenant general in April 2019, Mahmood served as inspector general of the Communication and Information Technology Branch at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.

He was appointed commander of XI Corps, based in Peshawar, in December 2019 and later served as president of the National Defence University in Islamabad from November 2021 until his retirement in April 2023.

Mahmood also served as general officer commanding of an infantry division in North Waziristan and took part in Operation Zarb-e-Azb. He is a recipient of the Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military).

His appointment comes as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye move to establish institutional mechanisms for implementing their joint defence agreement.