Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met the Makkah alliance secretary general, Lieutenant General (retired) Nauman Mahmood, in Islamabad on Wednesday and stressed the defence pact’s role in lasting peace in the region. Dar congratulated Mahmood on his appointment and wished him success in his new responsibilities, the Foreign Office said.
The meeting took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to the Foreign Office statement, Dar also highlighted Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts to promote regional and international peace and stability.
Makkah alliance secretary general: a new office
Mahmood is the first secretary general of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, known as the MJDA. He was appointed on September 23 to lead the general secretariat of the alliance, which was established in Riyadh. His appointment marked the formal setting up of the alliance’s secretariat and its administrative leadership.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye formalised the MJDA on August 7 as a trilateral security framework. Its backers describe it as a defensive arrangement aimed at strengthening collective deterrence, improving military cooperation and promoting regional stability. In the same month, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a separate Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement declaring that any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both.
Why the meeting matters now
The Dar-Mahmood meeting comes while Pakistan is trying to hold two roles at once. On one side, it is building closer security commitments to Saudi Arabia. On the other, it is presenting itself as a bridge between Iran and the United States as the region faces a widening war.
Earlier this week, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Iran agreed to continue a new four-way dialogue on regional peace and security under the MJDA. That followed an unprecedented meeting in Tehran involving the top military, defence and intelligence officials of the three Makkah pact countries.
Pakistan has also pressed for restraint in the US-Iran confrontation at the United Nations, urging all sides to honour the Islamabad memorandum of understanding and to choose diplomacy over escalation, as reported in Pakistan’s warning against Iran escalation. The cost of the wider war, meanwhile, has climbed past $47 billion for the United States alone, according to Pentagon data reported in our earlier story.
What happens next
The test for the MJDA secretariat will be practical rather than ceremonial. Its first tasks are likely to include turning the four-way dialogue with Iran into regular contact, and giving the alliance a working agenda beyond its founding statements.
For Pakistan, the immediate question is whether the pact helps or complicates its bridge role. A defence alliance with Riyadh and Ankara gives Islamabad weight in regional talks. It also raises expectations in Gulf capitals that Pakistan will stand with them if the confrontation with Iran deepens. Dar’s emphasis on peace, in that light, reads as an effort to keep both doors open.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Nauman Mahmood?
He is a retired lieutenant general and the first secretary general of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, appointed on September 23, 2026.
What is the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement?
It is a trilateral security framework formalised on August 7, 2026, by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, described by its backers as a defensive arrangement for collective deterrence, military cooperation and regional stability.
What did Dar discuss with Mahmood?
Dar congratulated Mahmood on his appointment, wished him success, and stressed the defence pact’s critical role in promoting lasting peace in the region, according to the Foreign Office.
How does this link to the Iran talks?
Earlier this week, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Iran agreed to continue a new four-way dialogue on regional peace and security under the MJDA, after a meeting in Tehran of senior military, defence and intelligence officials.
