Retired Lt Gen Noman Mahmood Appointed First Secretary General Of Makkah Defence Pact
Mian Nadeem | Published September 23, 2026 | 06:03 PM
The secretary general will lead the alliance’s general secretariat to be established in Riyadh, the Foreign Ministry said.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Sep, 2026) Retired Lieutenant General Noman Mahmood has been appointed the first secretary general under the Makkah Defence Pact.
The Foreign Ministry said the secretary general will lead the alliance’s general secretariat, which will be established in Riyadh.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had confirmed last month that the secretary general of the Makkah Defence Pact between Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia would be from Pakistan.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif signed the Makkah Joint Defence Pact in Makkah on 7 August.
Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia concluded the pact under the concept of shared responsibility and regional ownership in view of growing instability at the regional and global levels. Its primary objective is to promote security, peace, stability and prosperity regionally and globally, while strengthening the joint deterrence capabilities of the three countries.
One of the pact’s key provisions states that an attack on any one of the parties will be considered an attack on all parties. The agreement also emphasizes promoting a new culture of cooperation in the region. It allows other countries and relevant parties that respect international law and believe in a shared vision of peaceful cooperation to join the alliance.
The first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee in Istanbul marks an important step towards implementing the pact, as the three countries have begun transforming their joint defence cooperation from a political declaration into a permanent institutional and operational framework.