RAWALPINDI: Major General Amir Riaz has been appointed as the new Director General of Military Operations of Pakistan Army, Dawn News reported.

Riaz’s predecessor Major General Ashfaq Nadeem served on the said post from April 2011 until recently. Nadeem was lately promoted to the rank of lieutenant general during a recent shuffle in the army top brass.

Major General Riaz, formerly a head of the 111 Brigade, was also among the witnesses against Brigadier (retd) Ali Khan who was convicted for having links with banned organisation Hizbut Tahrir.

According to a report published in the BBC, Riaz was promoted to the rank of Major General following his statement against Brigadier Ali. According to the report, Ali had tried to recruit Riaz in HuT, but had failed.

The appointment of Major General Riaz comes amidst tension between India and Pakistan on the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border dividing the region of Kashmir in Indian and Pakistani administered sections.

Moreover, the shuffle precedes the anticipated retirement of army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani who is expected to call it a day on November 28, 2013, once his three-year-long extension comes to an end.