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Lieutenant General (retired) Nauman Mahmood has been appointed as the first secretary general of the Makkah Defence Alliance between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. The Foreign Office announced this on Wednesday, stating that Mahmood will lead the alliance's secretariat established in Riyadh. The agreement signed by these three countries on August 7 allows member states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all, with a focus on collective deterrence and defense.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-23,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The Foreign Office of Pakistan announced on Wednesday that Lieutenant General (retired) Nauman Mahmood has been appointed as the first secretary general of the Makkah Defence Alliance between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye. The alliance, signed on August 7, allows member states to consider an attack against any one of them as an attack against all three nations. The inaugural meeting was held in Istanbul on August 31, where it was decided that a secretariat headed by Mahmood would be established in Riyadh to oversee the alliance's operations. This appointment comes amid tensions involving Saudi Arabia and Yemeni rebels, highlighting the strategic importance of collective security initiatives for the involved countries.
Written for “Makkah Defence Pact Leadership Appoin…” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
The Foreign Office (FO) announced on Wednesday that Lieutenant General (retired) Nauman Mahmood had been appointed as the first secretary general of the Makkah Defence Alliance between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye.
asserted
Mahmood → announce → Pakistan
“The government of Pakistan is pleased to announce the appointment of Lt Gen Nauman Mahmood, Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military), (retired), as the first secretary general pursuant to the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement,” the FO said in a handout, referring to the alliance’s initial name.
“The secretary general will lead the general secretariat of the alliance being established at Riyadh,” the FO said.
asserted
FO → please → Riyadh
The agreement — signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye on August 7 — empowers member states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all.
asserted
agreement → sign → all
Its inaugural meeting was held on Aug 31, where officials from all member states met in Istanbul to establish the institutional structure of the alliance and Pakistan was picked to head its secretariat in Riyadh.
asserted
Pakistan → hold → Riyadh
Under the decisions taken during the meeting, a secretariat headed by a secretary general will be established in Saudi Arabia to support the alliance’s work under the agreement.
asserted
secretariat → take → agreement
The secretariat will initially be headed by a secretary general from Pakistan for three years.
asserted
secretariat → head → years
The three countries also agreed to take steps to further institutionalise their cooperation in a manner that would enhance their solidarity, ensure the credibility and effectiveness of their collective deterrence and defence, and contribute to regional efforts and cooperative security towards a just, inclusive and lasting peace.
asserted
that → agree → peace
Since its signing, there has been conversation about the possibility of its expansion, with Turkiye initially suggesting the possibility of Egypt’s inclusion.
asserted
Turkiye → suggest → inclusion
From Pakistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar clarified soon after the signing that the pact was defensive in nature, with the latter saying that it was also “open to any country in the region” willing to uphold its fundamental principles.
asserted
it → clarify → principles
However, when Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan was asked about possibility of the pact’s expansion during a weekly media briefing on Sept 10, he said an expansion was not on the cards at that point.
asserted
expansion → ask → point
The three countries first needed to solidify the new organisation before considering opening it to other states with similar threat perceptions and requirements, he explained.
asserted
he → need → perceptions
Meanwhile, Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said last week that the alliance has no “regional aspirations”, adding that it was intended for collective deterrence.
asserted
it → say → deterrence
Meanwhile, as the US-Iran conflict continues to expand with Yemen’s Houthi rebels attacking Saudi Arabia, he also said that Pakistan would go to “any extent” to defend Saudi Arabia, adding that Islamabad’s commitment to the kingdom’s security was “unconditional”.
asserted
commitment → continue → security
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