PRAHAAR: India’s bold step towards a unified counter-terrorism strategy

Dipak Kurmi

(The writer can be reached at dipakkurmiglpltd@gmail.com.)

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) officially rolled out India’s first public national counter-terrorism strategy, named PRAHAAR. This eight-page document, while not introducing new laws or agencies, brings together a comprehensive framework for combating terrorism in a structured and articulated manner. It provides a glimpse into the country’s approach to terrorism, incorporating both its historical measures and future steps, all while addressing the emerging threats in the age of advanced technology and global jihadist networks.

The strategy is not merely a compilation of existing laws and initiatives. PRAHAAR is a declaration of intent, aligning India’s counter-terrorism (CT) approach with contemporary global challenges while reinforcing a zero-tolerance stance on terrorism. For the first time, a consolidated policy will guide the country’s response, explicitly defining the roles of security agencies, local police, civil administration, and communities.

Understanding PRAHAAR’s Core Framework

PRAHAAR sets out a seven-pillar response, which serves as the backbone of India’s counter-terrorism strategy. The document emphasizes the importance of intelligence-led prevention, with real-time coordination between various agencies, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the National Security Guard (NSG), and state-level police forces. Central to PRAHAAR is the idea of disrupting terrorism networks—from sleeper cells to funding channels to propaganda mechanisms.

One of the key features of the strategy is its focus on swift, proportionate responses. While local police will play the primary role in immediate counter-terrorism responses, they will be backed by specialised forces like the NSG and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). Moreover, PRAHAAR calls for police modernisation and standardized training across agencies to ensure that all law enforcement personnel are prepared for the evolving nature of terror threats.

Another noteworthy aspect is PRAHAAR’s commitment to balancing security concerns with human rights. The document stresses the importance of adhering to the rule of law while engaging in counter-terrorism efforts, marking a deliberate departure from more militarised approaches to terrorism that often result in the violation of basic human rights. The document also acknowledges the need for community engagement and deradicalisation programs, with a particular focus on youth and women—groups vulnerable to radicalisation.

Further, PRAHAAR calls for international collaboration, focusing on intelligence sharing, legal assistance, and extradition agreements to tackle cross-border terrorism. While the strategy outlines a clear national approach, it does so with an eye toward global cooperation. The strategy’s framing of terrorism as a transnational issue that transcends borders, religions, and communities is a crucial aspect that will likely resonate in international forums.

In essence, PRAHAAR is less about introducing new tools and more about aligning existing capabilities—from the NIA to socio-economic development schemes—into a coherent strategy. The recognition that counter-terrorism efforts must be integrated into broader national goals such as poverty alleviation, education, and women’s empowerment is one of the most innovative elements of the document.

The Newness of PRAHAAR:

A Coordinated Effort

While PRAHAAR borrows from existing laws and agencies, its newness lies in its public articulation of intent. India’s counter-terrorism architecture has been historically fragmented across various laws and security agencies, with overlapping responsibilities and, at times, inadequate coordination. PRAHAAR aims to change this by providing a national framework for synergy and cooperation.

The public release of PRAHAAR serves as a reminder to both the public and potential adversaries that India is committed to addressing terrorism with a unified approach. This is especially significant given the growing complexity of the terrorist threat. Global jihadist movements like ISIS and Al-Qaeda have continued to pose a significant challenge, while emerging technologies such as drones, cryptocurrency, and the dark web have provided new tools for terrorists. PRAHAAR acknowledges these risks and strives to create a policy framework that keeps pace with these evolving threats.

Although PRAHAAR does not introduce new agencies, its creation represents a philosophical shift in how counter-terrorism is approached. For the first time, it explicitly rejects religious profiling, reinforcing that terrorism cannot and should not be linked to any particular religion or identity. This is not just a statement of policy but a message to the international community that India’s approach to combating terrorism is secular and pragmatic.

International Comparisons: The US and UK Approaches

India’s PRAHAAR is part of a broader global trend in counter-terrorism strategy formulation. Both the United States and the United Kingdom have articulated their counter-terrorism strategies, with detailed and multi-layered approaches. The US National Strategy for Counterterrorism (USNSCT), first published in 2018, runs to 34 pages, outlining detailed actions and “lines of effort” for combating terrorism. It includes objectives like disrupting terrorist capacity, severing financial support, protecting infrastructure, and countering radicalisation. Similarly, the UK’s CONTEST strategy divides its approach into four strands: Prevent, Pursue, Protect, and Prepare. The UK strategy is known for its operational detail, including the formation of a dedicated Counter-Terrorism Operations Centre (CTOC) and clearly defined roles for local government officials in executing counter-terrorism measures.

PRAHAAR, in comparison, remains less granular. It focuses more on broad principles and less on specific actions or sub-programmes. While it sets out guidelines for intelligence-sharing, police roles, and training standards, it does not delve into the specific tasks of individual agencies or how these will be executed. This lack of operational detail has raised questions about how PRAHAAR will be implemented at the grassroots level, especially in terms of state-level coordination and local police training.

PRAHAAR’s Limitations: The Need for Implementation

Despite PRAHAAR’s strengths, including its comprehensive and inclusive approach and its rejection of religious profiling, it faces significant challenges in implementation. For the strategy to be effective, it must percolate down to the ground level, where local police and state-level agencies will be the first responders to terrorist incidents. For this, state-specific guidelines will be necessary to translate the broad pillars of PRAHAAR into actionable plans for local law enforcement. Additionally, capacity-building efforts, especially for state Anti-Terrorism Squads (ATS) and district police units, will be critical in ensuring that India’s CT strategy is not just a top-down initiative but a collective societal effort.

The success of PRAHAAR will depend on the coordination between national agencies like the NIA and IB and local police forces, especially in areas with complex socio-political challenges. Moreover, the strategy places considerable emphasis on community outreach and deradicalisation, areas that are underdeveloped at the national level. While some states, like Telangana and Maharashtra, have made strides in deradicalisation programs, these efforts have not yet been scaled to a national level, and PRAHAAR does not provide a comprehensive framework for nationwide deradicalisation efforts.

One of the main criticisms of PRAHAAR is its lack of oversight mechanisms. Unlike the US and UK strategies, which include annual reporting and independent reviews, PRAHAAR does not commit to any public assessment or review process. There is no clear framework for monitoring the effectiveness of the strategy or for making adjustments based on changing circumstances.

Moving Forward: From

Intent to Action

PRAHAAR represents a bold and comprehensive approach to counter-terrorism, one that seeks to align India’s efforts with global best practices while acknowledging the unique challenges posed by cross-border terrorism, radicalisation, and emerging technologies. However, for PRAHAAR to be truly effective, it must be translated into concrete actions at the state and district levels. The document’s real test will come when it is no longer just a statement of intent but a working strategy that drives real change on the ground.

As PRAHAAR evolves, it will need to balance national security imperatives with the social integration of vulnerable communities, ensuring that it not just disrupts terrorism but also addresses the root causes of radicalisation. For now, PRAHAAR marks a significant step forward, but its long-term success will depend on its implementation, coordination, and oversight.