Army capable of taking action whenever told: Army chief

The Army is capable of taking action whenever told to do so, Army chief General Bipin Rawat has said, asserting that there will never be a situation where it will not be able to tackle a big terror attack like 26/11.

Rawat said the Army was now much more prepared to take action based on the directions given by the government.

"If we are told to take some action, we are capable and ready for it. So, there is never going to be a situation where you will not have options to tackle something like a big terrorist attack," Rawat told the India Today magazine in an interview.

He was responding to a question that if there was another attack like 26/11 today, what will be the Army's response.

Asked about the recent beheadings in the Valley, Rawat said in the last year-and-a-half, terrorists had targeted policemen, burnt the houses of panchayat members and school buildings.

"Now, they are targeting the unemployed, alleging that they are police informers. Locals now feel (militants) aren't acting in the best interests of the people of Kashmir. What we are seeing are acts of frustration in the final stages of an insurgency. It will lead to an uprising from the people who will then shun the militants," the Army chief said.

Asked about his recent comments that attempts were being made through "external linkages" to "revive insurgency" in Punjab, Rawat said the statements were based on intelligence inputs.

"We saw a terrorist act in Pathankot in 2016. We have seen some movements by terrorists taking place in areas bordering Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, especially the northern parts of Punjab. I was only reading the writing on the wall and warning the Army to be alert, because there might be a possible terrorist attack on our cantonments in Punjab," he added.