PRAHAAR Counter Terrorism Policy Unveiled, India’s First Comprehensive National Policy

PRAHAAR Counter Terrorism Policy Unveiled, India’s First Comprehensive National Policy

General Studies Paper II: Security Challenges & their Management in Border Areas, Government Policies

Why in News?

Recently, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) operationalized India’s first comprehensive national counter-terrorism doctrine, “PRAHAAR”. 

• The Union Home Minister inaugurated the conference on ‘PRAHAAR – CT Policy and Strategy’ in New Delhi on 28 September 2026 to outline India’s 10-year counter-terrorism roadmap.

What is PRAHAAR?

• About: PRAHAAR (Policy for Response Against Hostile Activities and Radicalism) is India’s National Counter-Terrorism Policy & Strategy, unveiled by the Ministry of Home Affairs on 23 February 2026.
  • It provides a national framework for preventing and responding to terrorism and radicalisation. 
  • Its central vision is a proactive, intelligence-led, whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, moving beyond a purely reactive response.
  • Operating with a “zero-tolerance” approach, it consolidates scattered laws and standard procedures into a single national framework. 
  • The doctrine explicitly states that terrorism has no religion, nationality, or ethnicity, preventing any community profiling.
• Seven-Pillars: The strategy rests on seven pillars: Prevention, Response, Aggregating Internal Capacities, Human Rights, Attenuating Conditions for Terrorism, Aligning International Efforts, and Recovery & Resilience.
  • Prevention: This pillar relies on an intelligence-guided framework to detect and neutralize threats before they materialize.
    • It formalizes real-time intelligence sharing through the Multi Agency Centre (MAC) and the Joint Task Force on Intelligence (JTFI) under the Intelligence Bureau (IB). 
    • It prioritizes disrupting terror financing channels, choking sleeper cells, and blocking illegal weapon supply lines.
  • Responses: Focuses on delivering swift, proportionate, and graded tactical actions during kinetic terror incidents.
    • The National Security Guard (NSG) acts as the federal command force, operating via standardized protocols to assist local units.
      • Coordination is streamlined through an MHA-issued Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC).
    • It mandates automated response structures to maximize efficiency during the critical “golden hour” of an attack.
  • Aggregating Internal Capacities: This creates a synchronized “whole-of-government” synergy across Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), intelligence units, and state police.
    • It focuses on the modernization of Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) by equipping them with advanced training, AI tools, and weaponry.
      • Key agencies like the Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPR&D) and CAPFs lead large-scale training.
    • Strategy implementation is driven directly down to grassroots police stations (thanas).
  • Human Rights and Rule of Law: Ensures that all threat mitigations, detentions, and investigative procedures strictly adhere to constitutional due process and procedural fairness.
    • Backed by laws like the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), it mandates multiple levels of judicial appeal and redressal to uphold basic liberties.
    • It balances fundamental rights by adhering to the Rule of Law, the Protection of Human Rights Act (1993), and international treaties like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
  • Attenuating Conditions: Addresses root enabling factors by deploying community-collaborative counter-radicalization modules.
    • It relies on a multi-stakeholder model involving educators, civil society, and families to block extremist online propaganda and recruitment. 
    • The goal is to proactively reduce socio-economic vulnerabilities that terror networks exploit.
  • Aligning International Efforts: Recognizes that modern terrorism crosses borders and requires shaping global counter-terror norms under UN frameworks.
    • It enhances bilateral intelligence sharing, joint security operations, and the choking of international safe havens. 
    • A newly launched Extradition Portal integrates agencies to swiftly bring back fugitive criminals.
  • Recovery and Resilience: Adopts a compassionate “whole-of-society” approach focused on post-incident rehabilitation.
    • It guarantees structured victim assistance frameworks, psychological trauma counseling, and rapid critical infrastructure reconstruction. 

Cross-Border and Emerging Terror Threats

• Cross-Border Terrorism: PRAHAAR identifies cross-border sponsored terrorism as a longstanding challenge. Terrorist organisations operating outside India may use external handlers, local networks and vulnerable border areas to plan, finance and facilitate attacks. 
• Foreign-Based Terror Networks: The document identifies threats from international organisations such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS, including attempts to stimulate violence through sleeper cells. Foreign-based violent extremists may also work through local associates and support networks rather than directly conducting attacks themselves.
• Terror–Crime Nexus: A significant emerging concern is the convergence between terrorist organisations and organised criminal networks. Criminal groups can provide logistics, recruitment, weapons, narcotics and financial channels. 
• Drone and Sub-Aerial Threats: Terrorist handlers increasingly exploit drones for cross-border logistics and attacks. The PRAHAAR threat profile specifically highlights drone-enabled activities in Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir.
  • The broader challenge includes potential misuse of robotics and unmanned systems by state and non-state actors.
• Cyber and Digital Terrorism: Terrorist groups increasingly exploit social media, instant messaging, encryption and digital platforms for propaganda, recruitment, communication and operational guidance.
• Dark Web and Cryptocurrencies: Dark-web infrastructure and crypto wallets can provide anonymity for terrorist activities. These technologies create difficulties in attribution, financial tracing and evidence collection. Counter-terrorism increasingly requires specialised cyber-forensics and financial-intelligence capabilities.
• CBRNED Threat: PRAHAAR highlights the challenge of preventing terrorist access to CBRNED materials—Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive and Digital resources.
  • Such threats require specialised detection, intelligence, scientific expertise and coordinated emergency-response capabilities.
• Cyberattacks and Critical Infrastructure: The threat environment extends to critical infrastructure and digital systems. The strategy specifically emphasises protecting power, railways, aviation, ports, defence, space and atomic-energy sectors from state and non-state threats.

India’s Counter-Terrorism Regulation Framework

• The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 is the principal statutory framework dealing with terrorism in India.
  • It includes provisions concerning terrorist organisations, individual terrorists, unlawful associations, terrorist financing and related offences.
  • The UAPA Amendment Act, 2019 enabled the Central Government to designate individuals as terrorists, in addition to organisations.
• The National Investigation Agency Act, 2008 established the NIA for investigating and prosecuting specified offences threatening India’s sovereignty, security and integrity. 
• Counter-terrorism also relies on financial regulation, particularly the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 and mechanisms addressing terror financing. 
• The counter-terror framework is supplemented by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, Explosives Substances Act and Arms Act. 
• The MHA’s CTCR Division handles policy formulation, coordination and implementation relating to counter-terrorism and counter-radicalisation. It also deals with terror financing, online radicalisation, extremist activities, banned organisations and international counter-terrorism cooperation.
• The Multi Agency Centre (MAC) provides an important platform for intelligence sharing between central and State agencies.
  • Its connectivity has been expanded, including district-level linkages, with specialised analytical focus areas such as violent extremism, cryptocurrency, terror financing, cyber coordination and drug trafficking.
• India participates in international counter-terrorism forums and supports stronger international action against terrorism.
  • During India’s chairmanship of the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee, the Delhi Declaration of 2022 addressed terrorist exploitation of drones, ICT/social media/payment technologies and digital financing. 
• India’s counter-terrorism diplomacy includes engagement with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on money laundering and terrorist financing.
  • In 2026, India assumed the FATF Vice-Presidency for July 2026–June 2027, marking its first such position. 

Implementation Challenges and Way Forward

• Challenges:

• Federal Friction: “Police” and “Public Order” are State subjects under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution. Aligning varied political priorities between the Center and States hinders uniform, top-down implementation of the doctrine.
• Capacity Asymmetries: Local police are designated as the crucial first responders. However, grassroots infrastructure suffers from wide inter-state disparities in technological adoption, forensic skills, and specialized anti-terror squad (ATS) training.
• Inter-Agency Silos: Shifting from a reactive stance to real-time, proactive intelligence fusion through the Multi Agency Centre (MAC) demands seamless horizontal integration. Overcoming legacy bureaucratic compartmentalization among intelligence, central forces, and state units remains difficult.
• Technological Asymmetric Threats: Tracking dark web logistics, AI-driven algorithmic radicalization, decentralized crypto-terror financing, and cross-border drone payloads requires specialized tech-auditing capabilities that currently outpace law enforcement training.
• Subjectivity in De-radicalization: The implementation of community-led mitigation and psychological reintegration lacks standardized national metrics. It relies heavily on subjective regional interpretations by local administrations and civil NGOs.
• Rights Enforcement Balance: Strict security operations under stringent legislations like the UAPA must firmly uphold the promised checks for human rights and the Rule of Law. Excesses can alienate targeted communities and damage counter-radicalization narratives.
• Absence of Public Benchmarks: Unlike international templates, the policy lacks independent oversight mechanisms or explicit public operational metrics to measure performance.
• Way Forward:
  • Inter-Agency Coordination:  Strengthen MAC/JTFI-based real-time intelligence sharing, integrate analytical capabilities and ensure actionable intelligence reaches operational agencies rapidly. Greater interoperability between Central and State systems should remain a priority.
  • Capacity Building: Upgrade State and UT Counter-Terrorism Units and Anti-Terrorism Squads (ATS) with uniform standards, modern tools, and better training. Place legal experts directly into investigations to raise conviction rates.
  • Upgrade Technology and Capability: Invest in AI-enabled analysis, cyber forensics, counter-drone systems, cryptocurrency tracing and digital intelligence while developing appropriate safeguards for lawful use.
    • Invest in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) defenses and work with private tech companies to stop digital radicalization.
  • Deepen Community-Based Prevention: Combine targeted law-enforcement measures with education, employment, youth engagement, community participation and de-radicalisation. Community and religious leaders, NGOs and civil society can help address vulnerabilities.
  • Global Cooperation: India should deepen intelligence sharing, MLATs, extradition cooperation, UN engagement and FATF cooperation, while advocating stronger international norms against terrorist financing, safe havens and misuse of emerging technologies. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

1. What is PRAHAAR Counter Terrorism Policy?

PRAHAAR is India’s first comprehensive National Counter-Terrorism Policy and Strategy, providing an intelligence-led framework to prevent and respond to terrorism and radicalisation.

2. What are the seven pillars of PRAHAAR?

The seven pillars are Prevention, Response, Internal Capacity, Human Rights, Attenuating Conditions, International Cooperation, and Recovery & Resilience.

3. When was India’s PRAHAAR policy launched?

India unveiled PRAHAAR on 23 February 2026 through the Ministry of Home Affairs as its first comprehensive national counter-terrorism strategy.

4. What is India’s National Counter Terrorism Strategy 2026?

It is PRAHAAR, a proactive, intelligence-led strategy combining prevention, coordinated response, technology, rule of law, international cooperation and societal resilience.

5. How does PRAHAAR address terrorism and radicalisation?

PRAHAAR combines intelligence sharing, terror-finance disruption, technological tools, counter-radicalisation, community participation, law enforcement and international cooperation. 

Disclaimer: Information in this article is based on official announcements and public records. Details may evolve over time.

Also Read: India’s First National Counter-Terrorism Policy PRAHAAR