From a father's fatal last stand against the Indian Army to commanding the Mecca pact: Who is Nauman Mahmood?

Pakistan has appointed retired Lt Gen Nauman Mahmood as the first Secretary-General of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement. Discover his background and family history.

The government of Pakistan has named Lt Gen Nauman Mahmood as the first Secretary-General of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement between three countries. As the tripartite alliance headquartered in Riyadh operates under rigid rules of mutual defense whereby any attack on one nation means attack on all the three nations, Mahmood's position has immense strategic importance in the context of growing tensions in the region with the Houthi threat looming large over Saudi Arabia.

ALSO READ | Mecca on alert: Saudi civil defence issues urgent safety instructions before lifting warning

Military profile and background

Mahmood comes with rich experience of command and intelligence assignments for the newly formed defense secretariat.

Service experience: He got commissioned in the Pakistan Army infantry in 1987 and had the command of a division in North Waziristan.

Notable assignments: He worked as the Director General of the ISI Analysis Directorate, commanded Peshawar based XI Corps and also headed the National Defence University.

Assignment as the new post: While assigned as the Secretary General, his military nature in view of the tri-nation agreement (between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey) makes his assignment similar to a joint alliance commander.

Military background pertaining to the 1971 war

There is a lot of interest from people in the military background of Mahmood's family due to his recent elevation.

The battle of Pirganj: The elder Mahmood, Lt. Col. Raja Sultan Mahmood, who served as the commanding officer for the 32 Baloch Regiment, was killed while fighting against Indian troops in the Pirganj area of erstwhile East Pakistan.

The engagement: As per the military history, Lt. Col. Raja Sultan Mahmood met his fate while being engaged with Indian forces near the Gorkha Rifles position.

Correspondence: In a much later correspondence from 2012, Indian military officer Ittar Singh communicated with Nauman Mahmood regarding the conditions of the last fight of his father.

ALSO READ | The cosmic eavesdroppers: Inside China's secretive Diting-01 satellites listening to earth's radio shadows

Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in india news and world news on Zee News.