Last month, India’s Ministry of Home Affairs unveiled the country’s first official National Counter-Terrorism Policy and Strategy, which it calls PRAHAAR.
This landmark document marks a transition from a reactive, piecemeal security posture to a structured doctrinal framework that seeks to provide a unifying playbook for India’s diverse security apparatus.
India has been grappling with terrorism for some three and a half decades – ever since Pakistan, buoyed by the success of its “mujahideen” assaults on the Soviets in Afghanistan, decided to employ the same tactics against India. From cross-border insurgencies in Jammu and Kashmir to a complex web of left-wing extremists and shadowy global networks like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, India’s experience with terrorism is perhaps more varied and sustained than that of any other modern democracy.
Historically, India confronted terrorism with localised military responses, specialised legal instruments like the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and agency-specific protocols. From the Intelligence Bureau to state-level Anti-Terrorism Squads, relevant agencies often operated in silos, sharing information only in the wake of an attack. The result was a fragile mosaic, held together only by the rhetoric of “zero tolerance,” rather than a seamless shield.
PRAHAAR aims to replace this reactive and disjointed approach with a holistic doctrine that supports unity and coordination across India’s vast and often fragmented security apparatus.
To the foreign observer, this might look like mere bureaucratic consolidation. But for the country that endured the 1993 Mumbai bombings, the 2001 Parliament attack, and the 2008 siege of Mumbai, it amounts to a long-overdue admission that the threat has evolved faster than the state’s security tactics.
PRAHAAR is both a Hindi word (“strike”) and an English acronym, representing the doctrine’s seven pillars:
Prevention of terror attacks to protect citizens and interests;
Responses that are swift and proportionate;
Aggregation of internal capacities to achieve synergy in a “whole-of-government” approach;
Human-rights and rule-of-law-based processes for mitigating threats; Attenuating conditions conducive to terrorism, such as radicalisation;
Aligning international efforts to create a global consensus; and
Recovery and resilience through a “whole-of-society” approach.
The PRAHAAR strategy replaces the “crisis-response” model with a “prevention-first” framework. It emphasises intelligence-guided action, placing the Multi-Agency Centre at the heart of a real-time data-integration system. By centralising the MAC’s role and that of the Joint Task Force on Intelligence, the strategy aims to eliminate siloes and ensure that state police and central agencies operate under a synchronised command.
PRAHAAR also explicitly addresses modern threats like drone-based incursions and communication encryption, and recognises the nexus between organised crime and terror networks. And it integrates legal experts at every stage of investigation – from initial report to final prosecution – to ensure that the rule of law is not just a catchphrase, but a means of ensuring that procedural lapses do not enable high-profile suspects to evade accountability.
That approach also addresses the root causes of the problem. The emphasis on human rights suggests a recognition that heavy-handed approaches can become a rallying cry for terrorist recruiters. Moreover, the document addresses the growing threat of “digital radicalisation,” especially when combined with technologies like the dark web, crypto wallets, and drones.
In an era when a lone-wolf actor can be radicalised in a basement, funded through decentralised networks, and commit violence from a distance, border fences and physical surveillance are insufficient. The new strategy focuses on denying access – not just to physical safe havens, but also to the digital and financial ecosystems that sustain modern terror. PRAHAAR thus positions India as a leader in the global discourse on cyber-terror, demonstrating how legal frameworks can be aligned with the reality of 21st-century warfare.
PRAHAAR stands out not only for its holistic approach, but also for its public nature. In the past, any Indian security strategy would be discussed in whispers or buried in classified manuals. By sharing the document openly, India’s government is signalling to domestic constituents and the international community its commitment to a whole-of-society approach.
There is no doubt that PRAHAAR represents a watershed moment for India. But the path from an eight-page strategy to a safer reality is littered with practical hurdles. For starters, the whole-of-society approach must be implemented with surgical precision to avoid triggering vigilantism or alienating certain communities.
But the bigger challenge lies in India’s federal structure. For PRAHAAR to succeed, the central government must secure the unwavering cooperation of nearly 30 state police forces, many of which are under-resourced, lagging technologically, and subject to the influence of local politics. Standardising counter-terrorism mechanisms across these states will be a herculean task, requiring massive investments in training and infrastructure.
Ultimately, PRAHAAR is an exercise in strategic clarity. It demonstrates a shift from a reactive to a proactive posture, one that recognizes the links between organized crime, state-sponsored actors, and digital subversion. But its success will be measured not in headlines or think pieces, but in the silence of the years to come – the people who are not radicalised, the bombs that do not go off, and the blood that is not spilt.
Shashi Tharoor is former UN under-secretary-general and former Minister of State for External Affairs and Human Resource Development
Project Syndicate