Explained: What is ‘Prahaar’, India’s first counter-terrorism policy?

The Centre on Monday unveiled ‘Prahaar’, describing it as India’s first comprehensive counter-terrorism policy. Announced by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the framework is built on “zero tolerance”, intelligence-led prevention and coordinated response to extremist violence. Here is what the policy says: ## A seven-pillar strategy ‘Prahaar’, literally meaning ‘strike’, lays out a multi-layered plan structured around seven pillars — prevention, response, aggregating internal capacities, human rights and rule-of-law based processes, countering conditions that enable terrorism including radicalisation, alignment with global efforts and shaping international counter-terror measures, and recovery and resilience through a whole-of-society approach ## Zero tolerance, no religious attribution The document reiterates that India maintains a policy of zero tolerance against terrorism and that there can be “no justification whatsoever” for violence It also states that India does not associate terrorism with any religion, ethnicity or civilisation, even while observing that “a few countries in the region have sometimes used terrorism as an instrument of state policy” ## Cross-border and global threats flagged Prahaar notes that India has long faced cross-border sponsored terrorism and names global terror groups such as Al Qaeda and the Islamic State (ISIS) as having attempted to incite violence in the country through sleeper cells It also points to conspiracies hatched from foreign soil and the use of emerging technologies, including drones, to facilitate terror-related activities in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir ## Focus on tech-enabled terror The policy underlines how encryption, the dark web and crypto wallets have allowed terror groups to operate anonymously and move funds . It flags concerns over attempts to access CBRNED material (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, explosive, digital), the misuse of drones and robotics, and cyberattacks by state and non-state actors It highlights the misuse of social media and messaging platforms for recruitment, propaganda and coordination, and speaks of proactive disruption of such online networks ## Community engagement and rehabilitation Beyond enforcement, the document says the government engages doctors, psychologists, lawyers, NGOs and religious and community leaders to sensitise and reintegrate affected communities. Prahaar seeks to deny terrorists, their financiers and supporters access to funds, weapons and safe havens, both within India and abroad, while adapting the country’s counter-terror response to emerging technological and transnational threats