Why in news?

The Ministry of Home Affairs has released PRAHAAR, India’s first publicly articulated national counter-terror strategy document. The eight-page framework outlines India’s overall approach to tackling terrorism, detailing past measures, existing mechanisms, and future plans.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• What PRAHAAR Outlines?
• What Is New About PRAHAAR?
• How Does PRAHAAR Compare with Western Counter-Terror Strategies?
• Strengths and Weaknesses of PRAHAAR
• Conclusion

What PRAHAAR Outlines?

• PRAHAAR frames India’s terrorism challenge as multi-dimensional, shaped by decades of cross-border violence, global jihadist networks like Al-Qaeda and ISIS, and the growing misuse of advanced technologies such as drones, encrypted platforms, dark web tools, crypto-financing, cyberattacks, and potential access to CBRNED materials.
• It avoids limiting the threat to any single region or group.
• The Seven-Pillar Response Framework
  • Intelligence-Led Prevention - Focus on proactive disruption of propaganda networks, sleeper cells, funding channels, and arms supply chains through real-time inter-agency coordination.
  • Swift and Proportionate Response - Local police-led action backed by specialised counter-terror forces to ensure rapid and calibrated operational response.
  • Capacity Aggregation - Modernisation of police forces, standardised training, and enhanced coordination across agencies to strengthen preparedness.
  • Rule of Law and Human Rights - Firm commitment to legal safeguards, due process, and protection of civil liberties while combating terrorism.
  • De-radicalisation and Community Engagement - Graded interventions targeting vulnerable groups, especially youth and women, alongside community outreach and rehabilitation efforts.
  • International Alignment - Strengthened global cooperation through intelligence sharing, legal assistance, extradition treaties, and multilateral designations.
  • Recovery and Resilience - A whole-of-society approach involving civil administration, professionals, NGOs, and communities to rebuild and enhance societal resilience.
• Guiding Principle - PRAHAAR is anchored in a political stance of zero tolerance for terrorism, while explicitly avoiding the association of terrorism with any religion or identity.

What Is New About PRAHAAR?

• Not New Tools, But a Unified Framework
  • Most mechanisms cited in PRAHAAR — such as MAC, NSG, NIA, UAPA, CAPFs, and community outreach programmes — are already operational.
  • The document does not create new agencies or confer new powers.
  • Its novelty lies in consolidating these elements into a single, publicly articulated national counter-terror strategy.
• Bringing Coherence to India’s CT Architecture
  • Previously, India’s counter-terror (CT) framework was dispersed across laws, standard operating procedures, Cabinet decisions, and state-level arrangements.
  • PRAHAAR unifies these scattered components under one national policy statement.
• Elevating Previously Implicit Elements
  • Human Rights and Rule of Law - PRAHAAR formally recognises human rights and legal safeguards as a named pillar of counter-terror policy.
  • Linking Security and Development - The strategy explicitly connects counter-terror efforts to poverty alleviation, education, housing, employment, scholarships, and women’s empowerment in vulnerable communities.
  • Clear Political Messaging - It affirms that India does not associate terrorism with any religion or community — a position that carries diplomatic significance in international forums.
  • More than introducing new powers, PRAHAAR serves as an articulation of intent, signalling to citizens and adversaries alike that India’s counter-terror approach is coordinated, comprehensive, and resolute.

How Does PRAHAAR Compare with Western Counter-Terror Strategies?

• PRAHAAR is a concise eight-page framework outlining guiding principles.
• In contrast, the US National Strategy for Counterterrorism (34 pages) and the UK’s CONTEST strategy (78 pages) provide far more detailed and operational blueprints.
• Level of Detail and Operational Clarity
  • PRAHAAR emphasises intelligence-led policing, inter-agency coordination (MAC, JTFI), roles of police and specialised forces, training, and socio-economic interventions.
  • However, it does not publicly specify agency-wise responsibilities, sub-programmes, or measurable objectives.
  • The US strategy translates broad goals into specific “lines of effort” and concrete commitments — such as tightening border screening, disrupting terror financing through anti-money laundering standards, and strengthening global CT partnerships.
  • The UK’s CONTEST framework provides detailed implementation structures, including a Counter-Terrorism Operations Centre (CTOC) and clearly defined roles for local authorities, schools, and councils under the Prevent/Protect/Prepare architecture.
• Oversight and Accountability
  • PRAHAAR stresses adherence to the rule of law but does not commit to public reporting or independent review mechanisms.
  • By contrast:
    • The US framework includes annual assessments to Congress and measurable targets.
    • The UK system operates through formal reporting lines and structured oversight across departments and local CT bodies.
• Ideological Scope
  • PRAHAAR primarily focuses on cross-border and jihadi terrorism.
  • Western strategies explicitly address a wider ideological spectrum, including extreme right-wing and hybrid forms of extremism.

Strengths and Weaknesses of PRAHAAR

• Strengths
  • Explicit rejection of religious profiling.
  • Formal recognition of human rights and rule of law as core pillars.
  • Integration of security and development approaches.
• Weaknesses
  • Limited operational detail in the public document.
  • Absence of clear oversight and measurable benchmarks.
  • Challenge of converting aspirational goals into routine practices at district and police station levels.

Conclusion

• PRAHAAR’s impact will ultimately depend on effective implementation, clear division of responsibilities, capacity-building at the grassroots, and robust coordination across agencies and states.