MHA Launches ‘PRAHAAR’; India’s First National Counter-Terror Doctrine: HM Amit Shah

The Ministry of Home Affairs, under Home Minister Amit Shah, has introduced ‘PRAHAAR’, India’s first comprehensive National Counter-Terrorism Policy and Strategy.

The landmark framework institutionalises a structured and coordinated doctrine to counter complex and emerging threats.

The eight-page strategy, released publicly, consolidates India’s long-standing counter-terror practices into a formal national architecture.

It reinforces a zero-tolerance stance against terrorism in every manifestation. It firmly rejects any attempt to associate terror with religion, ethnicity, nationality or civilisation.

‘PRAHAAR’, meaning ‘strike’, rests on seven pillars. These include prevention, calibrated response, institutional capacity-building, human rights compliance, counter-radicalisation, global cooperation and societal resilience.

Home Minister Amit Shah emphasises prevention as the policy’s nucleus, driven by intelligence-led operations and seamless coordination.

Integrated Security Architecture

The doctrine addresses cross-border terrorism, drone-enabled incursions, cyber-facilitated extremism and organised terror syndicates.

It flags threats from global outfits such as Al-Qaeda and Islamic State, which attempt to activate sleeper cells and incite violence.

It also highlights the convergence between terror modules and organised crime networks that manage logistics, recruitment and financing.

The framework strengthens real-time intelligence exchange through the Multi-Agency Centre and the Joint Task Force on Intelligence.

Agencies will dismantle overground worker networks, illicit arms supply chains and terror funding streams.

Authorities will deploy advanced surveillance across land, maritime and aerial borders, particularly in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.

Critical infrastructure will receive fortified protection. This includes power grids, railways, aviation systems, ports, defence establishments, space assets and atomic energy facilities.

Local police will act as first responders during incidents. Specialised state units and the National Security Guard will support major operations.

The National Investigation Agency will lead terror investigations and pursue robust prosecutions.

The policy mandates strict adherence to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and other criminal statutes, while safeguarding human rights and due process.

It promotes community outreach, youth engagement, prison monitoring and socio-economic interventions to curb radicalisation.

At the multilateral level, India will intensify intelligence partnerships and pursue terror designations at the United Nations.

Home Minister Amit Shah positions ‘PRAHAAR’ as a dynamic, future-ready blueprint to dismantle terror ecosystems and secure sustained national resilience.

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