Pakistan's military says the country's army chief has approved death sentences for a retired brigadier general and a private physician after they were court-martialed on charges of espionage and revealing classified information to foreign intelligence agencies.

Thursday's statement says Qamar Javed Bajwa also approved life imprisonment for retired Lt. Gen. Javed Iqbal on the same charge.

It provided no further details about the nature of the violations of the Pakistan Army Act and Official Secrets Act under which the three men were separately court-martialed. It only said the three had been convicted on charges of espionage and divulging "sensitive information to foreign agencies prejudice to the national security."

Pakistan's military rarely discloses such convictions, though it says the process of accountability within the army is very tough.