Muhammad Riaz Khan
Muhammad Riaz Khan | |
|---|---|
Riaz in the late 1970s | |
| 11th Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence | |
| In office October 1977 – 26 April 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Ghulam Jilani Khan |
| Succeeded by | Akhtar Abdur Rahman |
| Personal details | |
| Died | 26 April 1979 |
| Resting place | Dewal Sharif, Murree |
| Relations | Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (son-in-law) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Pakistan |
| Branch/service | Pakistan Army |
| Commands | Adjutant-General of the Pakistan Army Inter-Services Intelligence |
Major General Muhammad Riaz Khan was a two-star rank Pakistan Army general who was the eleventh Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), serving from October 1977 until his death on 26 April 1979. Prior to that, he served at the General Headquarters as Adjutant-General of the Pakistan Army.
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." 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.
Riaz died on 26 April 1979 from cardiac arrest. Riaz was succeeded by Akhtar Abdur Rahman.
His son-in-law, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, became a prominent politician and was appointed as the Prime Minister of Pakistan in 2017.