Muhammad Riaz Khan | |
---|---|
6th Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence | |
In office 1978–1979 | |
Preceded by | Ghulam Jilani Khan |
Succeeded by | Akhtar Abdur Rahman |
Personal details | |
Born | Muhammad Riaz Khan |
Relations | Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (son-in-law) |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Branch/service | ![]() |
Rank | ![]() |
Commands | Adjutant-General of the Pakistan Army Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence |
Muhammad Riaz Khan (Urdu:محمد ریاض خان) was a Pakistan Army general who was the 6th Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), serving from 1978 to 1979.[1][2][3] Prior to that, he served at the General Headquarters as Adjutant-General of the Pakistan Army.[4]
Riaz was well-regarded amongst the military establishment, and described as "religious minded, scrupulously honest, thoroughly professional and a committed soldier... a man of unimpeachable honesty and integrity."[4] Although he presided over the ISI for a short term, his tenure, which occurred during Zia's era, coincided with a tumultuous period in Pakistan–U.S. relations: Bhutto's execution, the Carter administration's sanctions against Pakistan's nuclear program, the U.S. embassy burning in Islamabad, the Soviet buildup in Afghanistan, and the CIA's expanding cooperation with ISI.[4]
Riaz died in 1979 from cardiac arrest. His post was seceded by Akhtar Abdur Rahman.[4]
His son-in-law, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, became a prominent politician and was appointed as the Prime Minister of Pakistan in 2017.[1][5]