Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is planning to name the successor of outgoing army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, sources said.
Kayani's extended six-year term as the head will expire in November this year.
The move is aimed at ensuring a smooth transition at a time when the military is fighting militants on many fronts.
According to the Express Tribune, Kayani, who was appointed as the army chief by former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf in 2007, has already availed a three-year extension granted by then prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in 2010.
According to defense sources, Sharif would be sent a shortlist of three generals from which he would likely pick one.