New Delhi  - India said Tuesday it was not planning any military action against Pakistan but emphasized that Islamabad will have to take action against militants operating from its soil for bilateral relations to improve.

Federal Defence Minister AK Antony made the comments in New Delhi after news reports said India had prepared to attack Pakistan in the aftermath of the Mumbai terrorist attacks.

Indian officials have blamed Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba for the Mumbai carnage that left over 170 people dead.

"We are not planning any military action," Antony said. 'But at the same time unless Pakistan takes action against those terrorists who are operating from their soil against India and also against all those who are behind this Mumbai terrorist attack, things will be not be normal."

He was talking to reporters on the occasion of Vijay Diwas, or Victory Day, which marks the 37th anniversary of India's 1971 military victory over Pakistan that resulted in the creation of Bangladesh.

Antony declined to discuss India's specific plans but he urged Pakistan to show sincerity in dismantling terrorist infrastructure on its soil.

"I cannot say what course of action we will take but unless Pakistan shows sincerity in whatever they are saying, through their actions, one thing is very sure that there is no question of things as usual," he added.

Regarding troop deployment along the India-Pakistan borders, the minister described the situation as "normal" and said the Indian military was "always ready."

Antony also denied that India was planning to call off the five-year-old ceasefire along a de-facto border that divides parts of the disputed Kashmir region which both countries administer separately.

CNN news, citing unnamed Pentagon officials, reported Monday that the Indian Air Force had begun preliminary preparations for a possible attack against Pakistan soon after the Mumbai attacks.

The Times of India also said that some steps were taken by the Defence Ministry to carry out "surgical airstrikes" against militant camps in Pakistan.

The US and Britain have supported Delhi's charge that the Mumbai attackers came from Pakistan and have pressured Islamabad to act against militants.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who visited both New Delhi and Islamabad after the Mumbai attacks, again urged Pakistan to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Speaking to the NDTV news channel at the UN headquarters in New York, Rice said the US was closely monitoring steps being taken by Pakistan and that it should prevent any further attacks from its territory. (dpa)