Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat had earlier said that any country that is sponsoring terrorism has to be taken to task

New Delhi: Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, on Monday, said that all defence services are prepared for any option that may emerge, in what appeared to be a strong message to Pakistan.

“All defence services are tasked to be prepared for any option that may emerge,” General Rawat said while talking about Pakistan.

He further said that it was very difficult to predict the scenario but the defence forces are always prepared for any task assigned to them, news agency ANI reported.

Earlier today, General Rawat along with Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria inducted the first Sukhoi-30MKI fighter aircraft squadron at the Thanjavur airbase in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur.

General Rawat had last week launched a veiled attack at Pakistan, saying that any country that is sponsoring terrorism has to be taken to task.

Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue in Delhi, he had said: “We've to bring an end to terrorism and that can only happen the way Americans started after 9/11, they said let's go on a spree on the global war on terror. To do that you have to isolate the terrorists, anybody who is sponsoring terrorism has to be taken to task.”

"Any country which is sponsoring terrorism has to be taken to task. I feel one of the measures adopted is of blacklisting by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is one good measure. Diplomatic isolation, you have to do this," he added.

He made the statement just days after Army Chief General MM Naravane warned of stern action against the neighbouring state for using terror as a state weapon against India. Addressing the Army Day parade on Thursday, Naravane had said, "(We have) zero tolerance towards terror, will respond in equal measure."