--- title: "Nauman Mahmood appointed first Secretary General of Makkah Joint Defence Agreement" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/conflict/nauman-mahmood-appointed-first-secretary-general-of-makkah-joint-defence-agreeme" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/nauman-mahmood-appointed-first-secretary-general-of-makkah-joint-defence-agreeme" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/conflict/nauman-mahmood-appointed-first-secretary-general-of-makkah-joint-defence-agreeme.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/nauman-mahmood-appointed-first-secretary-general-of-makkah-joint-defence-agreeme" category: "Conflict & Security" area: "Middle East" published: "2026-09-23T15:05:42.965Z" source_reported: "2026-09-23T14:42:22.000Z" updated: "2026-09-23T15:05:42.965Z" trust_score: 72 critic_score: 62 hype_score: 15 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-23T15:00:27.605446+00:00" --- # Nauman Mahmood appointed first Secretary General of Makkah Joint Defence Agreement *Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the appointment of the retired Lieutenant General.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 72 of 100, higher is better. Trust 72: multiple outlets name Lt Gen Nauman Mahmood and cite the Foreign Office statement as source. - Craft 62 of 100, higher is better. Critic 62: gives context but largely repeats the press release without independent quotes. - Hype 15 of 100, lower is better. Hype 15: language is measured with no sensationalism or clickbait. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Lieutenant General (retd) Nauman Mahmood has been appointed as the first Secretary General of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement (MJDA). - The appointment was announced by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. - The General Secretariat of the MJDA will be based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. - The agreement establishes a framework for enhanced defence cooperation among Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye. Pakistan has appointed Lieutenant General (retd) Nauman Mahmood as the first Secretary General of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement (MJDA). The announcement was made by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The General Secretariat of the MJDA will be established in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Lt Gen Mahmood will lead this body. The appointment formalises the administrative leadership of the alliance, which aims to enhance defence cooperation among participating countries. The MJDA was established as a trilateral security framework between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye. The agreement followed a meeting in Istanbul on August 31 where the foreign and defence ministers and military chiefs of the three nations agreed to establish a permanent secretariat in Riyadh. Pakistan is set to provide the first secretary general for an initial three-year term. The pact stipulates that an armed attack on any one of the three countries would be considered an attack on all three. ## Name spelling Reports differ on the spelling of the appointed official's surname. The Express Tribune and most other outlets spell the name as Nauman Mahmood. Mehr News Agency spells the name as Noman Mahmood. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated digests mention the specific date of the Istanbul meeting where the decision to establish the secretariat was made, which was reported by The Express Tribune as August 31. ## Who covered it Shares of the 6 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 17% (1) - Centre: 16% (1) - Right: 67% (4) 11 of 17 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-23T15:00:27.605446+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 2 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-23T15:30:18.482Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The left-rated report from CGTN led with the appointment of Nauman Mahmood as the first Secretary General of the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement. It stated that Pakistan appointed him to the role. The report did not include further details about the agreement or its implications. ### Centre - The centre-rated report from The Express Tribune highlighted Lt Gen (retd) Nauman Mahmood's appointment as the first Secretary General of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement (MJDA). It stated that the General Secretariat would be based in Riyadh and that the appointment marks the formal establishment of the MJDA's secretariat and its administrative leadership. The report also detailed the agreement's background, including a meeting in Istanbul on August 31 where the decision was made, and the pact's significance as a framework for collective deterrence and expanded defence cooperation among Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye. ### Right - The right-rated reports from Anadolu Ajansı, ARY News, Geo News, and Mehr News Agency all focused on Pakistan's appointment of a retired general as the first Secretary General of the Makkah Pact or Agreement. Anadolu Ajansı noted that the trilateral agreement includes Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye and aims to strengthen collective deterrence. Mehr News Agency referred to the agreement as the Mecca Defense Agreement and spelled the appointee's name as Noman Mahmood. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 2 - high: 4 - unknown: 11 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Karar Gazetesi](https://karar.com/guncel-haberler/pakistan-mekke-savunma-ittifakinin-ilk-genel-sekreterini-acikladi-2073873) — Pakistan Has Announced the First Secretary-General of the Mecca Defence Alliance. - [Mehr News Agency](https://mehrnews.com/news/6956746/%D9%BE%D8%A7%DA%A9%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%86%D8%AE%D8%B3%D8%AA%DB%8C%D9%86-%D8%AF%D8%A8%DB%8C%D8%B1%DA%A9%D9%84-%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%81%D9%82-%D8%AF%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%B9%DB%8C-%D9%85%DA%A9%D9%87-%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%A8-%DA%A9%D8%B1%D8%AF) — Pakistan Appoints First Secretary General of Mecca Defense Agreement - [Haberler](https://haberler.com/guncel/pakistan-turkiye-ve-suudi-arabistan-ile-mekke-20264890-haberi) — Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia Appoint the First Secretary-General of the Mecca Defense Alliance - [Independent Urdu](https://independenturdu.com/node/187912) — Lieutenant General (Retd) Noman Mahmood Appointed as First Head of ‘Makkah Defense Alliance’ - [Anadolu Ajansı](https://aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/pakistan-appoints-retired-general-as-1st-secretary-general-of-mecca-pact/4066361) — Pakistan Appoints Retired General as 1st Secretary General of Mecca Pact - [Pro Pakistani](https://propakistani.pk/2026/09/23/pakistan-army-official-named-first-secretary-general-of-saudi-defense-pact) — Pakistan Army Official Named First Secretary General of Saudi Defense Pact - [dailythedestination.com](https://dailythedestination.com/retired-general-nauman-mehmood-appointed-first-makkah-defense-secretary-general) — Retired General Nauman Mehmood Appointed First Makkah Defense Secretary-General - THE DESTINATION - [abbtakk.tv](https://abbtakk.tv/pakistan-names-lt-gen-nauman-mahmood-as-first-secretary-general-of-makkah-defence-alliance) — Pakistan names Lt Gen Nauman Mahmood as first secretary general of Makkah defence alliance - [The Express Tribune](https://tribune.com.pk/story/2630999/lt-gen-retd-nauman-mahmood-appointed-first-secretary-general-of-makkah-pact) — Lt Gen (retd) Nauman Mahmood appointed first secretary general of Makkah pact - [Economy.pk](https://economy.pk/international/middle-east/lt-gen-retd-nauman-mahmood-appointed-first-secretary-general-of-makkah-joint-defence-agreement) — Nauman Mahmood Named First Secretary General of Makkah Pact - [Daily Pakistan Observer -](https://pakobserver.net/who-is-lt-gen-r-nauman-mahmood-the-first-secretary-general-of-makkah-joint-defence-agreement) — Who is Lt Gen (r) Nauman Mahmood, the first Secretary General of Makkah Joint Defence Agreement? - Pakistan Observer - [CGTN](https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-09-23/news-1QG1Ul9VQTS/p.html) — Pakistan appoints Nauman Mahmood as the first Secretary General pursuant to Makkah Joint Defense Agreement - [ARY News](https://arynews.tv/pakistan-appoints-first-secretary-general-of-makkah-joint-defence-agreement) — Pakistan appoints first Secretary General of Makkah Joint Defence Agreement - [The Blind Side](https://theblindside.pk/pakistan-appoints-lt-gen-retd-nauman-mahmood-as-first-secretary-general-of-makkah-joint-defence-agreement) — Pakistan Appoints Lt Gen (Retd) Nauman Mahmood as First Secretary General of Makkah Joint Defence Agreement - [Islamabad Post](https://islamabadpost.com.pk/lt-gen-retd-nauman-mahmood-appointed-as-first-mjda-secretary-general) — Lt Gen (Retd) Nauman Mahmood appointed as First MJDA Secretary General - [Geo News](https://geo.tv/latest/683329-lt-gen-retd-nauman-mahmood-appointed-first-secretary-general-of-makkah-alliance) — Lt Gen (retd) Nauman Mahmood appointed first secretary-general of Makkah alliance - [Pakistan Live News](https://pakistanlivenews.com/lt-gen-retd-nauman-mahmood-appointed-first-secretary-general-of-makkah-alliance) — Lt Gen (retd) Nauman Mahmood Appointed First Secretary-general Of Makkah Alliance ## Questions **Who has been appointed as the first Secretary General of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement?** Lieutenant General (retd) Nauman Mahmood has been appointed as the first Secretary General of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement (MJDA). The announcement was made by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. **Where will the General Secretariat of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement be based?** The General Secretariat of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement will be based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood will lead this body. **What is the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement?** The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement is a trilateral security framework between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye. It aims to enhance defence cooperation, strengthen collective deterrence, and promote regional stability. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/conflict/nauman-mahmood-appointed-first-secretary-general-of-makkah-joint-defence-agreeme. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Nauman Mahmood appointed first Secretary General of Makkah Joint Defence Agreement", https://mediabias.news/conflict/nauman-mahmood-appointed-first-secretary-general-of-makkah-joint-defence-agreeme