The chief of Islamabad's Inter-Services Intelligence directorate, Lieutenant General Rizwan Akhtar, is likely to be replaced soon, reported Pakistani daily The Nation on Saturday. The newspaper said an unnamed security official confirmed the development. Islamabad's military spokesperson, Lieutenant General Asim Saleem Bajwa, denied the report. The claim, if proven to be true, gains significance in light of increased hostilities between India and Pakistan.

Relations between the two counties worsened after the Uri attack that took place on September 18. The Indian Army carried out surgical strikes on terror launch pads near the Line of Control in Pakistan.

Akhtar took over as the intelligence agency's director general in November 2014. The daily said that Akhtar's impending replacement would end his tenure prematurely. The official said Karachi Corps Commander, Lieutenant General Naveed Mukhtar, may replace Akhtar.

Another unnamed security official reportedly told the daily that the swap in positions between Akhtar and Mukhtar "makes sense" as the current ISI chief is familiar with the challenges in Karachi. The official added that replacement depended on whether the Army Chief, General Raheel Sharif, secures an extension or retires as announced earlier.