Government Launches New National Counter-Terrorism Policy & Strategy “PRAHAAR”

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has unveiled India’s first comprehensive National Counter-Terrorism Policy and Strategy titled PRAHAAR (Policy for Response Against Hostile Activities and Radicalism). The new strategy provides a structured and proactive framework to address evolving terrorist threats in India with a focus on prevention, coordinated response and resilience.

What Is PRAHAAR?

PRAHAAR is a national doctrine that guides India’s counter-terrorism efforts through a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach. The acronym PRAHAAR stands for the core elements of the strategy:

Prevention of terror attacks to protect Indian citizens and interests

Responses that are swift and proportionate

Aggregating internal capacities for synergy

Human rights and rule-of-law based mitigation

Attenuating conditions enabling terrorism

Aligning international counter-terror efforts

Recovery and resilience through societal support

Main Objectives & Strategic Focus

According to the policy document and expert sources, the key objectives include:

Preventing terror attacks before they occur, based on real-time intelligence and proactive measures.

Swift, proportionate and coordinated responses to terrorist activities.

Strengthening inter-agency coordination among central, state and local enforcement bodies.

Mitigating radicalisation and extremist ideologies including through community engagement.

Denying terrorists access to funds, weapons and safe havens domestically and internationally.

Promoting recovery and resilience in affected communities using public-private partnerships.

Key Features of the Policy

Intelligence-Led & Proactive Approach

PRAHAAR emphasises an intelligence-first doctrine, where the Multi Agency Centre (MAC) and the Joint Task Force on Intelligence (JTFI) under the Intelligence Burea(IB) serve as central nodes for real-time intelligence sharing and coordinated action across agencies.

Whole-of-Government & Whole-of-Society Strategy

The policy promotes integrated action involving:

Central and state police forces

Special units such as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and National Security Guard (NSG)

Civil society organisations, community and religious leaders

Public-private partnerships to build resilience and reduce radicalisation risks.

International Cooperation

PRAHAAR reinforces India’s commitment to global counter-terror efforts by:

Strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation, including Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs) and extradition agreements.

Engaging diplomatically to designate terrorists at the United Nations.

Addressing Emerging & High-Tech Threats

The policy recognises evolving terror threats, including:

Misuse of drones and robotics for smuggling or attacks

Cyber-radicalisation, encrypted communications and dark web operations

Use of crypto wallets for terror financing

CBRNED threats (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive and Digital) as emerging risks.

Human Rights & Rule of Law

India’s counter-terror strategy under PRAHAAR firmly anchors actions within the framework of human rights and the rule of law, ensuring that security operations and legal processes uphold international norms and safeguards.

National Security Context

Zero-Tolerance Policy: India maintains a zero-tolerance stance against terrorism in all forms and rejects any justification for violence based on religion, ethnicity, nationality or ideology.

The strategy codifies decades of India’s experience in combating terrorism and aims to institutionalise a long-term, technology-driven counter-terror posture.

PRAHAAR reflects a decisive shift from reactive policies to proactive, anticipatory threat mitigation in national security doctrine.