India's counter-terrorism apparatus has undergone a fundamental strategic overhaul, shifting from a reactive posture to a pre-emptive, intelligence-led doctrine focused on dismantling terror modules before they can execute attacks, according to senior security officials. The pivot, formalised under a national counter-terrorism strategy named PRAHAAR (Policy for Response Against Hostile Activities and Radicalism), was introduced in February 2026 and is already showing operational results, officials said.

What PRAHAAR Changes

The new doctrine issues a clear directive to intelligence and security agencies: do not wait for an incident to unfold before acting. 'The focus is on preventing terror attacks and ensuring that terror modules do not grow to such an extent that bringing them under control becomes a Herculean task,' a senior security official said. Crucially, PRAHAAR has also ensured seamless coordination between central intelligence agencies, state police forces, and field operatives — a structural integration that officials say was missing under the earlier reactive model.

Jammu and Kashmir: The ISI Front

Officials point to Jammu and Kashmir as the most immediate theatre where the new doctrine is being tested. According to an Intelligence Bureau (IB) official, Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has been in what was described as 'overdrive mode', attempting to activate its overground worker (OGW) network and push infiltrations into the Valley. However, the success rate for these operations has been markedly low. 'Security agencies in Jammu and Kashmir have neutralised terrorists, busted multiple modules and ensured that the overground worker network remains grounded,' the IB official said, adding that plotting and carrying out attacks is now considerably harder than the ISI may have anticipated.

Pan-India Radicalisation: The Bigger Challenge

Beyond Kashmir, officials identify radicalisation as a threat of equal or greater long-term concern, and one that has spread across multiple states. Modules have reportedly been active in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Delhi, Rajasthan, West Bengal, and Kerala. The Islamic State, officials said, has focused predominantly on radicalisation rather than direct violence, and has reportedly made significant inroads into youth networks. The busting of a pan-India radicalisation module centred in Andhra Pradesh is cited as a key example of early intervention under the new framework — a network that officials say was 'nipped in the bud in the nick of time.'

Gujarat and the Bangladesh Threat Vector

In Gujarat, a self-styled module linked to ideological affiliates of Jaish-e-Mohammad was dismantled after agencies found large caches of extremist material. Officials described the cell as a 'ticking time bomb' that was neutralised before it could escalate. Meanwhile, at India's eastern frontier, multiple attempts by Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami (HuJI) and Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) to target West Bengal and the northeastern states have reportedly been thwarted. 'If intelligence is actionable, the agencies move immediately to disrupt the module and prevent it from developing further,' officials said, describing the stance as non-negotiable.

What Comes Next

The Narendra Modi government has maintained a stated zero-tolerance policy on terrorism since taking office, and PRAHAAR represents the most institutionalised expression of that stance to date. Security officials indicate that the doctrine will continue to evolve, with inter-agency integration remaining the cornerstone. Whether the pre-emptive model can keep pace with adaptive threat networks — particularly those exploiting digital channels for radicalisation — will be the defining test of PRAHAAR's durability.