Lieutenant General (Rtd.) Nauman Mahmood would lead the alliance’s General Secretariat being established in Riyadh, the Press Information Department said. He was the first Secretary General under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.
Mahmood met President Asif Ali Zardari at Aiwan-e-Sadr on October 13, 2026. Federal Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi also attended.
Zardari said he expected the agreement to support regional peace and stability through defensive cooperation. Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia signed it on 7 August 2026.
The president said the accord was solely defensive, targeted no country and did not create a new bloc. He said cooperation would follow the UN Charter and international law.
Zardari also reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to resolving conflicts peacefully and expanding regional and multilateral cooperation to tackle emerging challenges.
Source: Press Information Department (PID), Government of Pakistan (official statement, PID 34280).
