ISLAMABAD: Retired Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood has been appointed the inaugural secretary general of the tripartite Makkah Defence Alliance, bringing to the position more than three decades of experience in military command, intelligence, strategic planning and professional military education.
The three member countries agreed last month that Pakistan would nominate the alliance’s first secretary general. Mahmood will now play a central role in establishing the organisation’s institutional framework during its formative years.
Based in Riyadh, his immediate responsibilities will include coordinating among the participating countries and helping translate their political commitments into practical defence and security arrangements.
Military Career Began in 1987
An officer of the Baloch Regiment, Mahmood was commissioned into the Pakistan Army in September 1987.
He graduated from the Command and Staff College in Quetta, the Command and Staff College in Egypt and the National Defence University in Islamabad. He also holds a master’s degree in War Studies.
A considerable part of his military career was devoted to professional military education.
He served in several instructional positions at the Command and Staff College before becoming its chief instructor. These assignments involved training military officers and working extensively with subjects related to military strategy and operational planning.
Command Experience in North Waziristan
As a major general, Mahmood commanded an infantry division in North Waziristan, where the Pakistan Army had been conducting counterterrorism operations for several years.
The assignment placed him in charge of a military formation operating in one of the country’s most sensitive security environments.
He subsequently moved into intelligence work when he was appointed director general of the Analysis Directorate at the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
His responsibilities included assessing international developments from Pakistan’s national security perspective.
The position also involved engagement with foreign intelligence organisations through the ISI’s external liaison arrangements, giving him experience in intelligence cooperation and strategic assessments.
Promotion to Lieutenant General and Command of XI Corps
Mahmood was promoted to lieutenant general in April 2019 and appointed inspector general of Communications and Information Technology at General Headquarters.
In December of the same year, he assumed command of XI Corps in Peshawar.
His tenure coincided with major developments along Pakistan’s western frontier.
The United States was preparing to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan, while Pakistan continued fencing its border and addressing security challenges arising from the changing situation across the frontier.
Mahmood relinquished command of XI Corps in November 2021.
Leadership of National Defence University
Following his corps command, Mahmood was appointed president of the National Defence University in Islamabad, becoming the institution’s 35th head.
He remained in that position until his retirement from the Pakistan Army in April 2023.
During the 2022 transition in the army’s senior leadership, he was also among the officers regarded as potential candidates for appointment as chief of army staff.
New Role in Regional Defence Cooperation
Mahmood’s appointment places him at the head of the Makkah Defence Alliance’s secretariat as the organisation develops its working arrangements and institutional structure.
His previous assignments span military operations in the former tribal areas, responsibility for a sensitive section of the Afghanistan border, intelligence analysis, international liaison and the teaching of national security and strategic affairs.
These areas of experience are directly relevant to the responsibilities of coordinating a new multinational defence arrangement.
As the alliance’s first secretary general, Mahmood will help establish its administrative and operational foundations and facilitate cooperation among its three participating countries.
