Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood will lead the General Secretariat of the alliance. He has been awarded the Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military) as well. The General Secretariat is being established in Riyadh, according to reports.
Defence cooperation between three countries
The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was formed to strengthen defence cooperation between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.
Under the agreement, the three countries have agreed to improve their defence capabilities and increase cooperation. They will also organise joint defence activities.
Focus on joint defence capabilities
The three countries will work together in areas such as defence industries, modern technology, joint development and production.
They will also work to improve communication and cooperation between their armed forces.
Secretariat to coordinate cooperation
The three countries had agreed to set up a secretariat under the Makkah agreement. The secretariat will be based in Riyadh.
It will help coordinate joint activities and communication between the three countries.
Pakistan’s role
The appointment of retired Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood as the first Secretary General gives Pakistan an important role in the agreement’s new structure.
Under his leadership, the General Secretariat will work to organise defence cooperation between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.
Former Indian diplomat
India’s former ambassador to the United Nations, T. S. Tirumurti, has shared a post on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, in which he said that the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement is ‘not good news for India.’
Talking about the recent regional developments, he said that they are proving his earlier assessment.
In his post, Tirumurti wrote that soon after the Iran war began at the end of February, he had written in The Hindu on March 10 that “Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will benefit. Their ambitions and stock will rise to fill the regional space. This is not good news for India.” He added that this is now “coming true.”
