What Happened
- India's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) unveiled "PRAHAAR" — the country's first comprehensive National Counter-Terrorism Policy and Strategy — on February 23, 2026.
- PRAHAAR is a doctrine-level framework for preventing, responding to, and recovering from terrorism across all its manifestations: cross-border terror, cyber-enabled terrorism, drone-based threats, radicalisation, and financing.
- The policy adopts a seven-pillar framework and a "whole-of-government, whole-of-society" approach, rejecting any linkage of terrorism with religion, ethnicity, or nationality.
- The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is identified as the lead agency for terror investigations, with the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) as the principal legal regime.
- New dimensions include mandates for periodic cyber vulnerability audits, tackling terrorist use of cryptocurrency and the dark web, and regulating drone threats to critical infrastructure.
Static Topic Bridges
PRAHAAR — Full Form, Seven Pillars, and Institutional Architecture
PRAHAAR is an acronym encoding its seven strategic pillars:
- P — Prevention of terror attacks to protect Indian citizens and interests
- R — Responses (swift and proportionate to the threat)
- A — Aggregating internal capacities for synergy in a whole-of-government approach
- H — Human rights and Rule of Law-based processes for threat mitigation
- A — Attenuating conditions enabling terrorism (including radicalisation)
- A — Aligning and shaping international efforts to counter terrorism
- R — Recovery and resilience through a whole-of-society approach
- Released by: Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), February 23, 2026
- Legal document status: Policy and strategy document (not an Act of Parliament); provides doctrine-level guidance for all counter-terror stakeholders
- Lead investigation agency: National Investigation Agency (NIA)
- Principal legal regime: Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA)
- First responders: Local police, followed by specialised state and central anti-terror forces
- NSG (National Security Guard): identified as the nodal national counter-terror force under MHA; created under NSG Act, 1986
- New threat dimensions addressed: crypto-based terrorist financing, dark web operational planning, drone use by terror groups against critical infrastructure
- Cross-border terror focus: specifically addresses externally-supported terror networks, infiltration management, and proxy war dimensions
Connection to this news: PRAHAAR consolidates India's counter-terrorism doctrine, which was previously distributed across multiple laws, policies, and agency mandates, into a single unified strategic document for the first time.
National Investigation Agency (NIA) — Powers, Jurisdiction, and Legal Basis
The NIA is India's premier federal counter-terrorism investigation agency, with jurisdiction to investigate scheduled offences across state boundaries without requiring state government consent.
- Established: December 31, 2008, by the NIA Act, 2008 (passed in the immediate aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks)
- Headquarters: New Delhi
- Jurisdiction: Entire territory of India; can take over investigation of scheduled offences from state police forces; can also investigate offences committed outside India against Indian citizens or India's interests (after 2019 amendment)
- Scheduled offences: UAPA-related offences, explosive offences, nuclear and radiological threats, hijacking, cyber-terrorism, trafficking of persons and arms (after 2019 amendment)
- NIA Amendment Act, 2019: Expanded jurisdiction to include scheduled offences committed outside India; added human trafficking, cyber-terrorism, and CBRN threats to the schedule
- Supervision: Ministry of Home Affairs; Director General is the head
- Distinction from CBI: CBI requires state government consent to investigate within a state (Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946); NIA does not need such consent for scheduled offences
- Conviction rate: NIA has maintained a conviction rate of over 90% in prosecuted cases (a key performance metric cited in PRAHAAR's mandate for "effective prosecution")
Connection to this news: PRAHAAR formally recognises NIA as the nodal investigation agency — this codifies NIA's primacy within the counter-terror ecosystem and potentially sets the stage for expanded powers or resource allocations.
UAPA — The Principal Legal Regime for Counter-Terrorism
The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 is India's primary anti-terrorism law, conferring broad powers to designate organisations and individuals as terrorists, detain suspects, and prosecute terror-related offences.
- Originally enacted: 1967 (to deal with secessionist movements; initially focused on "unlawful activities" threatening sovereignty and integrity of India)
- Key amendments:
- 2004 amendment: Added "terrorist activities" chapter; brought in after Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) was repealed; introduced definitions of "terrorist act," "terrorist gang," "terrorist organisation"
- 2008 amendment (post-26/11): Enhanced investigation powers; up to 180 days of detention without chargesheet (with court permission); property attachment powers
- 2019 amendment: Empowered government to designate individuals (not just organisations) as terrorists; gave NIA power to attach property of designated persons; extended UAPA to offences committed outside India
- Key provisions:
- Section 15: Definition of "terrorist act" (a broad definition covering acts threatening security, unity, or sovereignty; economic security; public order using specified weapons or methods)
- Section 35–36: Designation of "unlawful organisations" and "terrorist organisations"
- Section 43A–43F (added 2008): NIA investigation powers, bail provisions, extended detention
- Bail under UAPA: Very restrictive; court must be satisfied that the accused is "prima facie not guilty" — a higher threshold than ordinary bail jurisprudence
- Landmark case: NIA v. Zahoor Ahmed Shah Watali (2019) — Supreme Court held that courts must not evaluate evidence at bail stage in UAPA cases; only a prima facie assessment is required, further restricting bail
- Constitutional challenge: UAPA's individual designation power challenged in Supreme Court (2019 amendment); case ongoing as of 2026
Connection to this news: PRAHAAR designates UAPA as the "principal legal regime" — this is significant because it rules out any movement toward a standalone anti-terrorism law (like the repealed POTA) and instead anchors the legal framework in the existing UAPA structure.
Emerging Terror Threats — Cyber, Drones, and Crypto Financing
PRAHAAR dedicates significant attention to emerging and technology-enabled threats that traditional counter-terrorism frameworks were not designed to address.
Drone Threats: - Drone-based attacks by non-state actors have emerged as a significant threat; the 2021 Jammu Air Force station attack was the first confirmed drone strike on an Indian military installation - Drones are used for surveillance, weapons delivery, and smuggling (drugs, arms across the LoC) - PRAHAAR mandates periodic audits of critical infrastructure vulnerability to drone threats and coordinates with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and MHA for counter-drone policy - Drone (Amendment) Rules, 2021: established registration and licensing framework for drones; anti-drone technology deployment authorised for specified agencies
Cryptocurrency and Terror Financing: - Financial Action Task Force (FATF): India is a member; FATF's Recommendation 15 addresses virtual asset regulation; India's compliance reviewed in FATF mutual evaluation - Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA): recently extended to cover "virtual digital assets" (cryptocurrencies) through Finance Act 2023 amendments; ED (Enforcement Directorate) can now investigate crypto-linked terror financing - Dark web use: encrypted networks used for operational planning, recruitment, and propaganda dissemination; PRAHAAR mandates enhanced capabilities for monitoring and disrupting dark web operations - CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team, under MeitY): nodal agency for cybersecurity incident response; PRAHAAR mandates coordination with CERT-In for cyber-terror incidents
Cybersecurity: - Cyber-terrorism defined under UAPA (2008 amendment) and IT Act Section 66F: includes cyber attacks on critical information infrastructure - PRAHAAR mandates: periodic vulnerability audits for critical infrastructure, coordinated emergency drills, strengthened CERT-In and NTRO (National Technical Research Organisation) capabilities
Connection to this news: PRAHAAR's incorporation of these emerging threats reflects the evolution of India's security environment — the 2021 Jammu drone attack, the rise of cryptocurrency-based hawala networks, and cyber intrusions into power grids have all highlighted gaps in the existing framework.
Key Facts & Data
- PRAHAAR released: February 23, 2026, by Ministry of Home Affairs
- First national counter-terrorism policy in India's history
- Seven pillars: encoded in the acronym PRAHAAR
- Lead investigation agency: NIA (National Investigation Agency)
- NIA established: December 31, 2008 (NIA Act, 2008); post-26/11 Mumbai attacks
- NIA Amendment Act, 2019: expanded jurisdiction to offences outside India; added human trafficking, cyber-terrorism to scheduled offences
- UAPA originally enacted: 1967; key amendments: 2004, 2008, 2019
- UAPA 2019 amendment: enabled designation of individuals (not just organisations) as terrorists
- NSG (National Security Guard): nodal national counter-terror force; established under NSG Act, 1986
- Jammu Air Force station drone attack: 2021 (first confirmed drone strike on Indian military installation)
- Crypto-terror financing coverage: PMLA extended to virtual digital assets via Finance Act, 2023
- FATF Recommendation 15: covers virtual asset regulation; India is FATF member
- Bail threshold under UAPA: court must be satisfied accused is "prima facie not guilty" — higher bar than ordinary bail