{
  "id": 9331000,
  "title": "Lt Gen Nauman Mahmood named Makkah pact chief",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/lt-gen-nauman-mahmood-named-makkah-pact-chief",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-23T12:03:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Times",
    "slug": "daily-times",
    "url": "https://dailytimes.com.pk/1557212/lt-gen-nauman-mahmood-named-makkah-pact-chief/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Lieutenant General (retd) Nauman Mahmood has been appointed as the first secretary general of the Makkah Defence Alliance, which brings together Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye. According to the Foreign Office, Mahmood will head the alliance's secretariat, which is being established in Riyadh.\n\nThe Makkah Defence Alliance was agreed on August 7, with an inaugural meeting held on August 31 in Istanbul. The alliance empowers member states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all.\n\nThe secretariat, headed by a secretary general from Pakistan, will initially be led by Mahmood for three years, as per decisions taken during the meeting. The Foreign Office announced Mahmood's appointment on Wednesday, September 23.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Dawn",
        "title": "Lt Gen (retd) Nauman Mahmood picked as first head of Makkah defence alliance secretariat",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/lt-gen-retd-nauman-mahmood-picked-as-first-head-of-makkah-defence",
        "published": "2026-09-23T12:04:31.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}