What Happened
- The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) released India's first-ever National Counter-Terrorism Policy and Strategy, titled PRAHAAR, on February 23, 2026
- PRAHAAR is an acronym for: Prevention of terror attacks; Responses (swift and proportionate); Aggregating internal capacities (whole-of-government synergy); Human rights and Rule of Law compliance; Attenuating conditions enabling terrorism (including radicalisation); Aligning international efforts; Recovery and resilience (whole-of-society approach)
- The policy articulates a "zero tolerance" approach to terrorism with an intelligence-led prevention framework, and specifically addresses modern threat vectors: cross-border jihadist networks, drone-based smuggling and attacks, cyber-radicalisation, and cryptocurrency financing of terror
- The policy adopts a "whole-of-government" and "whole-of-society" approach — meaning it is not just a security policy but also encompasses deradicalisation, community resilience, and international diplomacy against terrorism
- PRAHAAR is released as a public document — available on the MHA website — signalling that it is a declaratory policy framework rather than a classified operational strategy
Static Topic Bridges
India's Counter-Terrorism Legal Architecture — UAPA and NIA
India's legal framework for counter-terrorism rests primarily on two statutes: the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) and the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008 (NIA Act). UAPA was originally enacted to deal with secessionist activities but was progressively expanded after POTA (Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002) was repealed in 2004. The 2008 Mumbai attacks led to the creation of the NIA.
- UAPA, 1967: Covers unlawful activities (secessionism), terrorist acts (added 2004), and terrorist organisations/individuals
- 2008 Amendment: Powers to freeze/seize terrorist funds
- 2013 Amendment: Aligned with FATF (Financial Action Task Force) requirements on terror financing
- 2019 Amendment: Empowered government to designate individuals (not just organisations) as terrorists; added cyber-terrorism provisions; NIA officers (Inspector and above) can investigate
- Section 43D(5) UAPA: bail restriction — court cannot grant bail if there are reasonable grounds to believe the accusation is prima facie true; effectively makes bail near-impossible in UAPA cases (criticised by human rights bodies)
- NIA Act, 2008: Established the National Investigation Agency as a central counter-terrorism agency; NIA can take suo motu cognisance of terrorist cases; NIA courts are designated special courts
- NIA Amendment Act, 2019: Expanded NIA's jurisdiction to include offences committed outside India against Indian citizens/interests; also added human trafficking and cyber crimes to NIA's mandate
Connection to this news: PRAHAAR provides the overarching strategic doctrine within which UAPA and NIA operate — articulating the "why" (zero tolerance, prevention, deradicalisation) while the legal statutes provide the "how" (investigation, prosecution, detention). The policy's mention of cryptocurrency financing directly responds to the 2019 UAPA amendment's cyber-terrorism provisions.
Terrorism Financing — FATF, Hawala, and Crypto
One of PRAHAAR's key focus areas is cutting off terrorist financing. India is a member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) — the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog — and has implemented its recommendations through amendments to UAPA, the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). New-age financing mechanisms — hawala networks, cryptocurrency transactions, and shell companies — have become primary tools for terror financing.
- FATF: Established 1989 (Paris G7 summit); 39 members (37 countries + EU + Gulf Cooperation Council); India joined 2010; headquartered in Paris
- FATF Grey List/Black List: Countries under "increased monitoring" (Grey) or subject to a "call for action" (Black — currently Iran, North Korea, Myanmar); being grey-listed triggers financial penalties and reduced FDI
- Pakistan's FATF history: Pakistan was grey-listed in 2018, removed in 2022 after 34 action points — PRAHAAR's focus on cross-border networks is directly relevant
- Hawala: Informal value transfer system operating outside formal banking — transfers value through trust networks (hawala brokers/hawaladars); illegal in India under FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act, 2000) and PMLA
- Cryptocurrency terror financing: Decentralised, pseudonymous transactions — increasingly used by groups like ISIS and Lashkar-e-Taiba for cross-border value transfers; tracked by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU-IND) in India
- PMLA, 2002: Prevention of Money Laundering Act — primary statute for AML; Enforcement Directorate (ED) is the enforcement agency; significantly amended in 2012, 2019
Connection to this news: PRAHAAR's explicit mention of cryptocurrency financing as a modern threat vector represents a doctrinal acknowledgement of a challenge that existing UAPA/NIA provisions are only beginning to address — potentially signalling upcoming legislative action to strengthen crypto-AML regulations.
Cross-Border Terrorism and India's International Engagement
India has been at the forefront of advocating for a global approach to terrorism, particularly regarding state-sponsored terrorism from Pakistan. India has long sought the designation of Pakistan-based groups (Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed) as terrorist organisations by the UN Security Council (UNSC) — efforts repeatedly blocked by China under P5 veto. PRAHAAR's pillar of "Aligning international efforts" directly addresses this diplomatic dimension.
- UNSC 1267 Committee: Sanctions committee targeting Al-Qaeda and associated groups — lists designated entities/individuals; India has successfully listed several Pakistan-based operatives
- China's UNSC vetoes on Pakistan-based terrorists: China blocked India's efforts to list Masood Azhar (JeM chief) under UNSC 1267 three times (2016, 2017, 2019) before finally allowing it in 2019
- Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT): Proposed by India at the UN General Assembly in 1996; still not adopted due to disagreements on definition of terrorism — India has continued to advocate for its adoption
- FATF and Pakistan: Pakistan's removal from grey list in 2022 was a setback for India's argument about Pakistani state support for terrorism — PRAHAAR's international pillar signals continued diplomatic pressure
- Drone-based terrorism: Recent incidents include drone attacks in Jammu (2021) — India's first drone attack on a military installation; cross-border drone smuggling of weapons and drugs; PRAHAAR's specific mention of drone threats represents a doctrinal upgrade
Connection to this news: PRAHAAR's international engagement pillar is an attempt to formalise India's existing bilateral and multilateral counter-terrorism diplomacy into a cohesive national strategy — aligning it with the domestic zero-tolerance approach.
Key Facts & Data
- PRAHAAR released: February 23, 2026 by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)
- India's first-ever national counter-terrorism policy (no predecessor document existed)
- UAPA originally enacted: 1967; key amendments: 2008, 2013, 2019
- NIA established: 2008 (NIA Act); amended 2019 (expanded jurisdiction, added offences)
- FATF established: 1989 (G7 Paris summit); India joined: 2010
- Pakistan removed from FATF grey list: October 2022 (after 34-point action plan)
- CCIT (Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism): Proposed by India in 1996; pending UN adoption
- China's UNSC vetoes on Masood Azhar designation: 2016, 2017, 2019 (ultimately listed 2019)
- India's first drone attack on military installation: Jammu airbase, June 2021
- PRAHAAR pillars: Prevention, Response, Aggregation (whole-of-govt), Human rights, Attenuation, Alignment (international), Recovery