Pakistan Defence/Securities Agreement

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Dar, Saudi and Turkish FMs follow-up on understandings reached in first Makkah Defence Alliance meeting: FO​

News Desk
September 6, 2026



Turkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud pose for a picture before the first committee meeting under the joint defence accord, in Istanbul on Aug 31, 2026.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held phone calls with Saudi Arabian and Turkish foreign ministers on Sunday and followed up on the understandings reached at the inaugural meeting of the Makkah Defence Alliance last month, the Foreign Office (FO) said.

The joint defence pact was signed on August 7 and empowers the member states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all of them. Its inaugural meeting was held on August 31 in Istanbul, where it was decided that the alliance’s secretariat would be initially headed by Pakistan for three years.

 

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Lt Gen (retd) Nauman Mahmood appointed first secretary general of Makkah pact​

The secretary general will lead the general secretariat of the alliance being established in Riyadh: FO

Web Desk
September 23, 2026

Lt Gen (retd) Nauman Mahmood.

The government on Wednesday appointed Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood, Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military), as the first Secretary General of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement (MJDA), according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In a statement, the Foreign Office said Lt Gen Mahmood would lead the general secretariat of the alliance, which is being established in Riyadh.

The appointment marks the formal establishment of the MJDA's secretariat and its administrative leadership, the statement added.

The government had earlier announced the MJDA as a framework for enhanced defence cooperation among the participating countries.

 

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The appointment came less than a month after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye agreed in Istanbul to establish a permanent secretariat for their joint defence pact in Riyadh, with Pakistan set to provide its first secretary general.

The decision was taken at the inaugural meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee, held under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, which brought together the foreign and defence ministers and military chiefs of the three countries in Istanbul on August 31.

Under the arrangement agreed in Istanbul, the secretary general would head the alliance's General Secretariat, based in the Saudi capital and tasked with overseeing implementation of the agreement, coordinating joint activities among the three militaries and supporting expanded defence-industrial cooperation. Pakistan was designated to hold the post for an initial three-year term.

 

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‘Urgent’ meeting of chiefs of staff to be held​

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry, in a post on X, said the meeting was held within the framework of the agreement, where the three member states condemned the recent Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia and discussed arrangements to convene an “urgent meeting of the chiefs of staff of the three countries” to support the Gulf state within the pact.

“They commended the vigilance of the Saudi armed forces and their ability to defend the kingdom’s security,” the statement said, adding that Saudi Arabia held the right to take measures “it deems appropriate” in self-defence.

It added that the three sides reviewed progress on the establishment of the general secretariat, committees, and working groups, as well as “preparations for the commencement of their activities”.

The three also exchanged views on the prevailing situation in the region and underscored the “importance of upholding the principles of international law, good neighbourliness, mutual respect for state sovereignty, non-interference in internal affairs, and ensuring the security and freedom of maritime navigation”.

The three sides reiterated their determination to work towards peace and stability in the region and push for peaceful solutions to existing crises, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said.