Lt Gen (retd) Nauman Mahmood appointed first head of Makkah defence alliance secretariat

The Foreign Office recently announced that Lieutenant General (retired) Nauman Mahmood would become the first secretary general of the Makkah Defence Alliance, a joint effort between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye. The government expressed satisfaction with this appointment. The secretary general will oversee the general secretariat of the alliance, which will be based in Riyadh.

The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, signed on August 7, grants member states the right to consider an attack on one as an attack on all. The alliance's inaugural meeting took place on August 31 in Istanbul, where officials from all three countries met to establish its institutional framework. Pakistan was selected to lead the alliance's secretariat in Riyadh for a period of three years.

The agreement aims to strengthen solidarity, enhance deterrence and defense capabilities, and contribute to cooperative security efforts in the region. Following the pact's signing, discussions arose regarding its potential expansion, with Turkiye suggesting Egypt's inclusion. However, no confirmation has been made. Pakistan's Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, clarified that the pact is defensive in nature and open to any regionally-minded country willing to adhere to its principles.

The alliance, according to its Director General, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, does not have regional ambitions and is focused on collective deterrence. Given the ongoing US-Iran conflict and Yemen's Houthis' attacks on Saudi Arabia, Pakistan has pledged to "go to any extent" to defend the kingdom, stating its commitment is "unconditional."