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India's new counter-terrorism doctrine, PRAHAAR, is emerging as more than just a domestic security framework, with experts suggesting that the policy could redefine counter-terror cooperation across the Indo-Pacific and South-east Asia amid evolving threats from "jihadist groups", digital radicalisation, and organised crime networks.
In a review paper published by the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University, Associate Research Fellow Jasminder Singh described PRAHAAR as India's "first comprehensive counterterrorism framework" that transforms the country's "reactive security posture into a coordinated, intelligence-led strategy". The doctrine, introduced by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on February 26, lays out a structured national policy to prevent and combat terrorism through intelligence coordination, legal mechanisms, technological monitoring and international cooperation. "India's PRAHAAR doctrine, introduced in February 2026, is the country's first comprehensive counterterrorism framework, transforming India's reactive security posture into a coordinated, intelligence-led strategy," Singh wrote. The think tank's commentary noted that terrorism in Asia has increasingly become transnational in nature, with extremist networks using maritime routes, encrypted platforms, illicit financing and digital propaganda to operate across South and Southeast Asia. "Terrorism in Asia has long transcended national borders. Militant networks, digital propaganda ecosystems, and illicit financing channels now operate fluidly across South and Southeast Asia," the RSIS Associate Research Fellow wrote in his review. According to Singh, the mismatch between transnational threats and fragmented national responses has created "structural vulnerabilities across the Indo-Pacific", adding that India's PRAHAAR doctrine seeks to address this imbalance. The PRAHAAR doctrine is built around seven pillars, including prevention, response, aggregation of internal capacities, human rights and rule of law, attenuation of conditions enabling terrorism and radicalisation, aligning international efforts, and recovery and resilience. As per the MHA policy document, the doctrine is predicated on: -Prevention of terror attacks to protect Indian citizens and interests. -Responses, which are swift and proportionate to the threat posed. -Aggregating internal capacities for achieving synergy in a whole-of-government approach. -Human rights and 'Rule of Law' based processes for mitigation of threats. -Attenuating the conditions enabling terrorism, including radicalisation; -Aligning and shaping the international efforts to counter terrorism. -Recovery and resilience through a whole-of-society approach. The MHA policy states that India follows a proactive and intelligence-guided counter-terrorism strategy, with the Multi Agency Centre (MAC) and Joint Task Force on Intelligence (JTFI) under the Intelligence Bureau playing a central role in real-time intelligence sharing. "This approach is primarily 'Intelligence-Guided', in which primacy is accorded to intelligence gathering and its dissemination to executive agencies for neutralisation of threat," the policy said. The MHA policy document added, "Operationalisation of the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) along with the Joint Task Force on Intelligence (JTFI) in the Intelligence Bureau (IB) remains the nodal platform for efficient and real-time sharing of Counter Terrorism (CT)-related inputs across the country and subsequent prevention against disruptions." The doctrine comes in the backdrop of India facing sustained terror threats from Pakistan-based terrorist outfits such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and their proxy, The Resistance Front. The RSIS commentary referred to the 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, along with the 2001 Parliament attack and the 2008 Mumbai attacks, as incidents that exposed "critical vulnerabilities in intelligence sharing, crisis coordination, and investigative capacity". According to the review, PRAHAAR attempts to shift India's response to terror threats away from crisis-based responses towards a doctrine-driven system focused on intelligence fusion and coordinated action. "At its core is a shift towards intelligence-led counterterrorism, anchored by institutions such as the Multi-Agency Centre and the Joint Task Force on Intelligence," Singh wrote. The think tank's review also highlighted how terror networks are evolving technologically and organisationally. It noted the increasing use of encrypted transactions, cryptocurrency and digital wallets for terror financing, an issue also flagged in the MHA policy document. "The policy flags technological advancements like encryption, the dark web, and crypto wallets, which have allowed the terror groups to operate anonymously. Disrupting and intercepting terrorist efforts to access and use CBRNED (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive, Digital) material remains a challenge for Counter Terrorism (CT) agencies," the MHA policy document stated. The MHA policy also noted how terror groups and hostile actors are increasingly exploiting drones, robotics, the dark web and encrypted messaging applications. "The threat of state and non-state actors misusing drones and robotics for lethal purposes remains another area of concern, even as criminal hackers and nation-states continue to target India through cyber-attack," the document noted. Further, according to the RSIS commentary, Jaish-e-Mohammed had reportedly widened its recruitment efforts through a women's wing named "Jamaat-ul-Mominat", while Lashkar-e-Taiba had expanded maritime-focused training through a specialised "Water Force." The RSIS Associate Research Fellow also cited the 2026 Global Terrorism Index, which ranked Pakistan as the country most affected by terrorism, alongside a US Congressional Research Service report that described Pakistan as both a "base of operations and a target for many militant groups". The PRAHAAR framework places strong emphasis on law, governance and deradicalisation. The doctrine integrates "human rights and 'Rule of Law' based processes for mitigation of threats" and calls for a "whole-of-government" and "whole-of-society" approach. "It emphasises due process, the proportional use of force, and institutional oversight, reflecting an effort to balance security imperatives with democratic accountability," Singh wrote. The policy says India remains committed to a "zero tolerance" approach against terrorism. "India has always denounced terrorism and its use by any actor for achieving any stated or unstated ends, unambiguously and unequivocally," the policy document stated. "India has always stood by the victims of terrorism and has been steadfast in its belief that there can be no justification whatsoever for violence in the world. It is this principled approach which informs the Indian policy of 'zero tolerance' against terrorism," the policy document added. The RSIS review also stressed the growing strategic importance of cooperation between India and Southeast Asian nations, particularly in maritime security, cyber monitoring and intelligence sharing. "South Asia has long served as an ideological and operational hub for militant networks in Southeast Asia. For its part, Southeast Asia provides recruitment pools, logistical pathways, and maritime routes that sustain extremist ecosystems across the region," Singh wrote in the review paper. It added that encrypted messaging services, decentralised digital networks and cryptocurrency financing have enabled militant groups to coordinate operations across borders "with unprecedented speed and anonymity". The report suggested that India's growing cyber capabilities and expanding Indo-Pacific outreach under the Act East Policy could position New Delhi as a stronger regional security player. "Counterterrorism is now emerging as a central pillar of this engagement," the RSIS commentary said. At the same time, Singh cautioned that the doctrine's success would depend on reducing "inter-agency rivalry" and ensuring effective coordination between the Centre and states. "If implemented effectively, PRAHAAR could serve as the foundation for a more integrated India-Southeast Asia counterterrorism partnership," the commentary noted. The RSIS review also added that "such a framework would not only strengthen regional resilience to extremist threats but also contribute to a broader security architecture capable of addressing the increasingly interconnected and technologically driven nature of terrorism in the Indo-Pacific." (ANI)
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