Makkah has been appointed as the first Secretary General of the Defense Alliance formed under the Joint Defense Agreement. Retired Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood has been entrusted with this responsibility. This alliance is between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Its General Secretariat is being built in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said Nauman Mahmood has been made the first Secretary General under the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement. He has also received the Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military) award.

The Mecca Agreement was signed on 7th August

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed this defense agreement in Makkah on August 7. This agreement will work like NATO’s Article-5. That is, if there is an armed attack on any one of the three countries, it will be considered as an attack on all three countries. The purpose of this agreement is to strengthen common security, collective defense and regional cooperation between the three countries.

The agreement also leaves room for other countries and parties to join the alliance in the future. The first meeting of the coalition was held in Istanbul on 31 August. In which the officials of the three countries discussed about creating an institutional arrangement for the alliance. In this meeting it was decided that the first Secretary General would be from Pakistan.

Who is Nauman Mehmood?

Nauman Mehmood has had a long career in the Pakistan Army. He received a commission in the Baloch Regiment in September 1987. He studied at Command and Staff College in Quetta, Command and Staff College in Egypt and National Defense University in Islamabad. He also holds a Master’s degree in War Studies. Most of his career was spent at the Command and Staff College. Here he trained officers at different posts and later became Chief Instructor. This gave him experience in military strategy and operational planning.

As a Major General, he commanded the Infantry Division in North Waziristan. The Pakistan Army had been conducting anti-terrorist operations in the area for many years. After this he became the Director General of Analysis Directorate in Pakistan’s spy agency ISI. His task was to analyze developments related to foreign countries from a national security perspective. Liaison with foreign intelligence agencies was also part of his responsibility.

Became Lieutenant General in 2019

Mahmood became Lieutenant General in April 2019. After this he was made Inspector General of Communication and Information Technology at the General Headquarters. In December 2019, he took over the command of XI Corps, Peshawar. After leaving this post in November 2021, he was made the President of the National Defense University, Islamabad. He was its 35th head. He retired from the army in April 2023.

His name was also considered among the possible contenders during the appointment of the Army Chief in 2022. His main responsibility now in Riyadh will be to design the institutional arrangements for the alliance, build coordination between the three countries and convert political agreements into practical security cooperation.

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