India's newly appointed army chief has issued a stern warning to China and Pakistan about New Delhi's preparedness for a two-front war, if at all such a situation arises.    

 "As far as the armed forces are concerned, we are tasked to be prepared for a two-front war and I think we are capable of carrying out our task in whatever manner that we may be asked to do by the political hierarchy," General Bipin Rawat told Indian news channel NewsX.

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Rawat, however, stressed that military confrontation with neighboring countries must be used as a last resort and emphasized that all the contagious issues must be resolved through cooperation. Talking about cooperation, he reminded that India is continuously holding meetings with Chinese forces in border areas.

"This is to ensure that while we may be competing with each other for space, economic development and prosperity, there are also areas of cooperation," Rawat said.

Rawat was appointed as the 27th army chief of India in December 2016. Known as a counter insurgency specialist, Rawat's appointment comes at a time when India's relation with its two rival neighbors - Pakistan and China - has become immensely strained in recent times. 

India's Relation with China and Pakistan Hitting All Time Low  

Meanwhile, although New Delhi has never shared a cordial relation with Islamabad and Beijing, its bilateral relationship with both its neighbors has hit a new low during recent years. The vexed issue of Kashmir propelled tension between India and Pakistan to a new unprecedented level, with the Modi government launching surgical strike across the border in October last year.

On the other hand, India also shared a tense relation with Beijing at a diplomatic level. New Delhi was left frustrated with the Chinese government's inflexible stance on contiguous issues of Nuclear Supplier Group and Masood Azhar.

Beijing has been taking a hardened stance on both issues allegedly at the behest of Pakistan.

China and Pakistan's mutual animosity against India stems largely from unresolved border issues, which continue to haunt their bilateral relation even today.

Both nations have fought full-fledged war against India to resolve the border issues.      

TagsNew Indian Army Chief, India, India and China, General Bipin Rawat, India and Pakistan, china, Pakistan