The new national counter-terror policy adopts a proactive, intelligence-led framework targeting terror financing, radicalisation, cyber misuse and cross-border threats, while strengthening coordination among central and state agencies and reinforcing human rights safeguards.
The Government has announced ‘Prahaar’, India’s first comprehensive anti-terror doctrine, formalising a proactive and intelligence-driven strategy to combat evolving security threats. The policy outlines a structured national approach to counter terrorism, including cross-border networks, extremist groups and technology-enabled operations.
Prahaar, presented as a unified counter-terror framework, seeks to criminalise all forms of terrorist activity and dismantle support systems that enable such acts. It aims to cut off access to funding, weapons, logistics, safe havens and digital infrastructure used by terror groups.
Seven-pillar strategy to counter evolving threats
The doctrine is built around seven guiding pillars reflected in the acronym “Prahaar.” These include prevention of attacks, swift and proportionate response mechanisms, and aggregation of institutional capacities to ensure a coordinated, whole-of-government approach. It also emphasises adherence to human rights and rule of law in counter-terror operations.
Other pillars focus on addressing conditions that enable radicalisation, aligning international counter-terror cooperation, and ensuring recovery through a whole-of-society framework following incidents.
The policy highlights threats posed by hostile neighbours allegedly using terrorism as an instrument of state policy. It also references global extremist organisations such as ISIS and Al-Qaeda, noting their continued influence and digital outreach.
Authorities have expressed concern over the growing use of encrypted communication platforms, the dark web, cryptocurrency transactions and emerging technologies such as drones. The policy flags instances of cross-border elements leveraging local criminal networks for recruitment, logistics and targeted attacks, particularly in sensitive regions like Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.
Focus on technology, coordination and de-radicalisation
Prahaar calls for stronger collaboration among intelligence agencies, law enforcement bodies and state-level counter-terror units. It proposes periodic updates to legal frameworks and emphasises modernising security forces with advanced tools and investigative capabilities.
The doctrine also outlines a graded response to radicalisation, combining legal measures with socio-economic interventions, education and community engagement. Officials say the approach balances national security priorities with procedural safeguards and avenues for legal redress.
International cooperation forms a key pillar, with the policy advocating closer alignment on extradition, deportation and intelligence-sharing mechanisms under global norms.
By institutionalising a unified anti-terror structure across central, state and district levels, the government aims to create a more resilient and coordinated national security architecture capable of addressing both conventional and emerging threats.
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