Full Breakdown
India Launches PRAHAAR: A Decade-Long Counter-Terrorism Blueprint
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Launch of the Strategy
He called for institutionalising the framework for the next ten years, establishing an automated response at every level, and extending the strategy down to the police-station (“thana”) level. Shah also launched an “Extradition Portal” intended to speed the return of fugitives from abroad.
Background & Context
The Ministry of Home Affairs announced PRAHAAR—India’s first comprehensive national counter-terrorism policy—in February 2026. The document adopts a “zero-tolerance” stance, explicitly rejects linking terrorism to any religion or ethnicity, and cites cross-border groups such as Al Qaeda and ISIS as ongoing threats.
Policy Structure – The Seven Pillars
1. Prevention – intelligence-led monitoring and real-time inter-agency coordination to disrupt propaganda, financing and arms networks.
2. Response – swift, proportionate action led by local police and backed by specialised counter-terror forces.
3. Aggregating Internal Capacities – modernisation and standardised training of police forces.
4. Human Rights & Rule of Law – firm adherence throughout enforcement.
5. Attenuating Conditions for Terrorism – graded de-radicalisation and community engagement, especially with youth and women.
6. Aligning International Efforts – intelligence sharing, legal assistance, extradition and multilateral designations.
7. Recovery & Resilience – a whole-of-society approach that involves doctors, psychologists, NGOs and religious leaders to reintegrate affected communities.
Technological Threats and the “Perimeter Fallacy”
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh warned on September 24 that defining security solely by geographic borders is a “perimeter fallacy,” pointing to drones, cyber-attacks, lone-wolf actions and disinformation as modern challenges. PRAHAAR flags the misuse of drones, encrypted communications, dark-web platforms, crypto-financing and cyber-attacks, noting 28 recorded drone-smuggling incidents over three years up to February 2023.
Data & Statistics
- The Institute for Economics and Peace’s *Global Terrorism Index 2026* ranks India 13th with a score of 6.43, reflecting a roughly 43 % decline in terror-related incidents and deaths and accounting for about 2 % of global terrorism deaths.
- From 2019 to 2026, the Modi government repatriated 288 fugitives from 36 countries, according to Shah.
- Coordination among agencies has busted more than 40 modules of the Shahzad Bhatti network, registered over 100 FIRs and led to the arrest of 350 individuals across 15 states.
Why It Matters
PRAHAAR shifts emphasis from “deterrence by punishment” to “deterrence by denial,” aiming to make potential terrorist targets harder to reach and reducing reliance on costly cross-border kinetic strikes such as Operation Sindoor (2025). An integrated database linking central and district police consoles is intended to close the gap between threat detection and operational response, strengthening domestic resilience.
Official Statements & Responses
- Amit Shah asserted that the “zero-tolerance” policy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi applies to all forms of terrorism and that continuous analysis of terror incidents is essential for a robust ten-year framework.
- Rajnath Singh framed the evolving threat landscape as requiring a broader security concept beyond physical borders.
- The policy cites analysis from the RAND Corporation, which describes “deterrence by denial” as preventing aggressors from succeeding by denying them the ability to carry out attacks.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
No source provides a post-implementation assessment of PRAHAAR’s effectiveness; impact metrics beyond the cited statistical trends remain unspecified.