ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has decided to appoint the country's former spy chief as head of the country's army, the information minister said Thursday.

Maryam Aurangzeb tweeted Sharif's decision to name Lt. Gen. Syed Asim Munir as the new army chief, shortly after the premier presided over a crucial Cabinet meeting in the capital, Islamabad. Munir would replace retiring army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa.

The information minister said Sharif has also decided to appoint Lt. Gen. Sahir Shamshad Mirza as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.

The latest development comes a week before Bajwa is to retire after completing his six-year extended term. However, it was not clear whether Alvi will immediately approve the appointments, as he is a former member of the country's opposition leader Imran Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaf party.

Pakistan’s army has historically wielded huge political influence and ruled the country for half of its 75-year history.