Who is retired Lt Gen Nauman Mahmood, first Makkah Defence Alliance secretary general?

Retired Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood has been appointed the first secretary general of the Makkah Defence Alliance, taking on the role after a military career spanning field command, intelligence analysis and professional military education.

The three countries participating in the alliance decided last month that a Pakistani nominee would head its secretariat. In his new role, Lt Gen Mahmood will be responsible for helping establish the alliance’s institutional structure and coordinating among its members.

Lt Gen Mahmood was commissioned into the Pakistan Army’s Baloch Regiment 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.

He spent a significant part of his career at the Command and Staff College, serving in various instructional positions before becoming chief instructor.

As a major general, he commanded an infantry division in North Waziristan during the army’s counterterrorism operations.

He later served as director general of the Analysis Directorate at Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), where his responsibilities included assessing international developments from a national security perspective.

Promoted to lieutenant general in April 2019, he was appointed inspector general of Communications and Information Technology at General Headquarters. Later that year, he took command of XI Corps in Peshawar.