Govt unveils first ever national counter-terrorism policy 'Prahaar'

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday released India’s first comprehensive national counter-terrorism policy and strategy, titled ‘Prahaar’, outlining a structured, intelligence-driven framework to prevent and combat terrorism in all its forms.

 

The eight-page document stresses prevention of terror attacks, swift and proportionate response mechanisms, and stronger coordination among agencies. It adopts a “whole-of-government” and “whole-of-society” approach, while also seeking to mitigate conditions that enable terrorism, including radicalisation.

 

Reiterating India’s long-standing position, the policy states there can be no justification for violence and affirms a doctrine of “zero tolerance” against terrorism.

 

What are the seven pillars of ‘Prahaar’?

 

The policy is structured around seven pillars, represented by the acronym ‘Prahaar’:

 

Prevention of terror attacks

 

India will follow a proactive, intelligence-guided approach, giving primacy to intelligence gathering and dissemination to executive agencies for neutralising threats.

 

Response

 

Responding to terror attacks is described as a multi-stakeholder exercise involving central, state and district authorities. The MHA has issued standard operating procedures for apex-level coordination, including intelligence analysis and follow-up action through the Multi Agency Centre (MAC) platform.

 

Aggregating capacities

 

The policy calls for acquiring the latest tools, technology and weaponry, along with upgrading skills and tactics of counter-terror agencies.

 

Human rights and rule of law

 

It underscores that Indian laws, including anti-terror legislation, give due importance to human rights and operate within a rule-of-law framework that protects fundamental rights.

 

Attenuating conditions enabling terrorism

 

The document highlights sustained efforts by terrorist groups to recruit Indian youth. The policy states that intelligence and law enforcement agencies have been disrupting such attempts, it also lists down the steps to counter radicalisation including engagement with community and religious leaders and non-governmental organisations, among others.

 

Aligning and shaping international efforts

 

The policy emphasises bilateral and multilateral treaties and agency-level intelligence sharing. Such cooperation has led to disruption and indictment of terror entities, deportation of fugitives and efforts to designate wanted terrorists at the United Nations (UN).

 

Recovery and resilience through a whole-of-society approach

 

India’s whole-of-society approach includes public-private partnerships and involvement of doctors, psychologists, lawyers, Non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and community and religious leaders to sensitise and reintegrate affected communities.

 

Why was the policy needed?

 

The MHA said India has long faced sponsored terrorism from across the border, with jihadi outfits and their front organisations continuing to plan and execute attacks. Global groups such as Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have also sought to incite violence through sleeper cells.

 

The policy flags evolving threats, including violent extremists operating from foreign soil, use of drones for terror activities in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, and collaboration between terror groups and organised criminal networks for logistics and recruitment.

 

It notes that social media and instant messaging platforms are also sed for propaganda, funding and operational guidance, while encryption, the dark web and crypto wallets enable anonymity. Disrupting access to 'Cbrned' (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive, Digital) materials remains a challenge.

 

The policy therefore calls for enhanced cooperation among agencies in intelligence collection and investigation. It also recommends periodic amendments to the domestic counter-terror legal regime to address emerging threats.