Prahaar: India’s new national counter-terror policy unveiled
The Union Government on Monday unveiled the country’s first National Counter-Terrorism Policy and Strategy-Prahaar — outlining a framework to tackle existing and emerging security threats. The document highlights dangers ranging from cross-border terrorism and cyber intrusions to the misuse of drones and advanced technologies. The strategy is based on zero tolerance, intelligence-led prevention and disruption of extremist violence that aims to deny terrorists, their financiers and supporters access to funds, weapons and safe havens.
The policy announced by the Ministry of Home Affair (MHA) is based on seven key pillars to counter the terror threats emanating from India or abroad — prevention, responses, aggregating internal capacities, human rights and Rule of Law-based processes, attenuating the conditions enabling terrorism including radicalisation, aligning and shaping the international efforts to counter terrorism and recovery and resilience through a whole-of-society approach.
“There has been a history of sporadic instability in the immediate neighbourhood of India, which has often given rise to ungoverned spaces. Besides, a few countries in the region have sometimes used terrorism as an instrument of State policy,” the document notes, without naming Pakistan.
“Notwithstanding this, India does not link terrorism to any specific religion, ethnicity, nationality or civilisation. India has always denounced terrorism and its use by any actor for achieving any stated or unstated ends unambiguously and unequivocally,” it added.
The policy lists out technological evolution, which offers terrorists a cloak of invisibility, making it difficult to penetrate their nefarious scheming or track their funds.
“Technological advancements like encryption, dark web, crypto wallets, etc. Have allowed these groups to operate anonymously. Disrupting/intercepting terrorist efforts to access and use CBRNED (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive, Digital) material remains a challenge for Counter Terrorism (CT) agencies.
It described India’s approach in preventing and countering threats as “proactive” and “intelligence-guided”, noting that the country faces risks across air, land and water.
Expressing its commitment to continue its efforts with the international community and counter the global challenge of misuse of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for terrorist purposes, the document said investments in technology and partnerships with private enterprises have been included to mitigate futuristic terror threats.
Prahaar
India’s first comprehensive national counter-terrorism framework by the MHA
The seven Key Pillars of Strategy
Prevention: Intelligence-led disruption of violence.
Aggregating Internal Capacities: Filling resource gaps in CT agencies.
Attenuating Enabling Conditions: Addressing radicalisation, poverty, and unemployment.
Recovery & Resilience: Reintegration through a whole-of-society approach.
Response: coordination between Central, State, District authorities.
Human Rights & Rule of Law: Just laws and multiple levels of legal redressal.
International Alignment: Shaping global counter-terror efforts and treaties.
