NEW DELHI, Feb 23: The government on Monday unveiled India’s first comprehensive counter-terrorism policy, titled “Prahaar”, outlining a multi-layered strategy rooted in “zero tolerance”, intelligence-led prevention and disruption of extremist activities. The policy seeks to deny terrorists, their financiers and supporters access to funds, weapons and safe havens.
Unveiled by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the policy rests on seven key pillars: prevention, response, capacity building, adherence to human rights and the Rule of Law, addressing conditions conducive to radicalisation, strengthening international cooperation, and ensuring recovery and resilience through a whole-of-society approach.
The document notes India’s long-standing exposure to cross-border terrorism and instability in its neighbourhood, without naming any country. It reiterates that India does not associate terrorism with any religion, ethnicity or nationality and maintains an unequivocal stand against all forms of terror.
Highlighting threats from groups such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS, the policy points to the growing use of advanced technologies, including drones, encrypted platforms, dark web networks and crypto wallets, to plan and finance attacks. It also flags concerns over the potential misuse of CBRNED (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive, Digital) materials and cyber-attacks by state and non-state actors.
Under its prevention framework, the policy prioritises intelligence gathering and real-time information sharing through platforms such as the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) and the Joint Task Force on Intelligence (JTFI) under the Intelligence Bureau. Special emphasis is laid on disrupting terror funding networks and dismantling overground worker (OGW) modules and illegal arms syndicates.
The policy underscores a coordinated response mechanism involving central, state and district agencies, guided by standard operating procedures issued by the MHA. It also stresses strengthening counter-terror capabilities, addressing socio-economic vulnerabilities, and ensuring legal safeguards and human rights protections.
International cooperation through bilateral and multilateral arrangements remains central to India’s strategy, aiding in the designation, disruption and extradition of terrorists. The policy further calls for periodic updates to anti-terror laws and enhanced technological investments to counter emerging and future threats.
