Terror is changing its face, India’s counter-terrorism strategy
The al-Qaeda terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York City on September 11, 2001 was neither the first major terrorist attack in the world nor the first against the United States. But it fundamentally changed the way terrorism was fought in the following decades.
Over the last 25 years, the global security environment, including that of India, has changed irreversibly. The forms of terrorism have evolved, the tools used to commit terrorism have changed and so have the strategies adopted by countries around the world to fight terrorism.
We no longer hear of major terrorist groups operating under ruthless terrorist leaders such as al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden or Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who led the Islamic State and called for the establishment of an Islamic caliphate. Instead, terrorist groups have morphed into smaller, more autonomous entities. Lone wolf attacks are becoming the norm, while technologies such as drones, cyber capabilities and even artificial intelligence are used not only by terrorist groups but also by nations fighting terrorism.
From an Indian perspective, 9/11 certainly helped draw more attention to India’s concerns about cross-border terrorism, particularly in Kashmir. However, it was only after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai on 26/11 (November 2008) that the world really stood in solidarity with India and recognized its fight against cross-border terrorism. Over the years, India’s strategy on terrorism has evolved – from a passive strategy of merely warning Pakistan but not punishing it, to a bold and active strategy that classifies any foreign-backed terrorist act as an “act of war”.
The initial years saw a passive response
Although cross-border terror began in Kashmir in the early 1990s, the first major terrorist attack did not come from the Kashmir Valley. The assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi by the terrorist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam of Sri Lanka on 21 May 1991 in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu shocked the nation.
Without a clearly defined counter-terrorism strategy and a rapidly expanding terrorist network in Kashmir, India found itself stretched thin. The Mumbai serial blasts of March 1993, which killed over 250 people in 13 coordinated blasts across the city, and the synchronized blasts in the city of Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) in February 1998 exposed the inadequacy of India’s internal security mechanisms to detect and combat terror inside the country.
However, Pakistan’s direct role was first exposed in the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight IC-814 on 24 December 1999. Under enormous public pressure and with very little options, India agreed to release feared Pakistan-based terrorists such as Ahmed Omar Sheikh and Masood Azhar in exchange for over 160 civilian hostages. The attack on the Indian Parliament in New Delhi by the Pakistani terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) on 13 December 2001 outraged India and led to a large-scale military mobilization under “Operation Parakram”. As India and Pakistan acquired nuclear weapons, the threat of escalation grew, prompting the international community to snap in a cool mood. After almost two years of tense standoff, there was a military withdrawal without any direct punishment of Pakistan. The 11/26 terrorist attacks in Mumbai – widely regarded as India’s 9/11 moment – also did not lead to any military action against Pakistan.
There have also been other terrorist attacks like the Akshardham temple attack in 2002, the Varanasi serial bombings in 2006 and the German bakery blast in Pune in 2010. Even Delhi has not been spared from terror. Even before the Parliament attack, an army garrison in the Red Fort was targeted by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists on 22 December 2000, resulting in the death of three soldiers. In October 2005, over 60 people were killed in serial blasts that rocked popular markets in Delhi, including Sarojini Nagar and Paharganj. Again, in September 2008, months before the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, multiple blasts rocked Delhi’s commercial areas, including Connaught Place, Greater Kailash and Karol Bagh. On 7 September 2011, a briefcase bomb exploded outside the Delhi High Court, killing 15 people. The attack was claimed by Harkat-ul-Dihad Islami (HUJI), a terrorist group linked to al-Qaeda and based mainly in Pakistan. In all these and many other cases, India has chosen not to respond directly, and certainly not even after convincing evidence of Pakistan’s direct support for these attacks. So how and when did India change its strategy?
Taking the fight across borders
After the change of government at the Center in May 2014 and its determination not to let terror go unpunished, India changed its strategy towards cross-border terrorism. The September 18, 2016, terrorist attack by Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists on an army camp in Uri, Kashmir led to the first cross-border surgical strikes (September 28-29). The strikes not only sent a strong signal, but also served as a clear statement of intent. Soon after, following the terrorist attack on a Central Reserve Police Force convoy in Pulwama, Kashmir on 14 February 2019, the Indian Air Force (IAF) launched strikes on the JeM terrorist camp in Balakot. It was the first time that the IAF crossed Pakistani airspace to conduct a counter-terror strike.
However, it was the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, 2025 that outraged the nation like never before. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was on a visit to Saudi Arabia, returned to India and soon after, the Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor on May 6-7, striking at the heart of the Pakistan-based terror network. Within 96 hours, the leaders and headquarters of the terrorist networks (LeT and JeM) were destroyed and Pakistan’s military assets were crushed.
Where India stands now on terror
India has come a long way since the threat of cross-border terrorism took root in Kashmir in the early 1990s. Through passive and reactive policies, India has become a leading voice in the global fight against terrorism. Soon after Operation Sindoor, India declared three clear intentions – first, that the era of restraint and patience was over and Pakistan would have to pay a direct and heavy price for any terrorist attack in the future. Second, that any future act of cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan will be treated as an “act of war”. Third, that Pakistan’s nuclear blackmail will no longer be a limiting factor.
India also unveiled “PRAHAAR”, its first comprehensive national counter-terrorism policy and strategy, on 23 February 2026. The policy provides a national counter-terrorism framework to prevent and respond to terrorist activity and radicalization through coordinated ‘whole of government’ and ‘whole of society’ approaches.
Although the number of terror-related incidents in Kashmir has come down drastically, the possibility of a few terrorists sneaking across the Line of Control (LoC) and eluding intelligence and security agencies remains. The answer lies in a four-fold strategy. First, continue to pursue and eliminate the remnants of the terrorist network in the country, especially in Kashmir. Second, take pre-emptive military action against any potential terrorist threat that is building up in the ceasefire, including terrorist launch pads. Thanks to years of experience and a deeply embedded intelligence network, this is possible. Third, undertake a comprehensive deradicalization program across the country that not only motivates young people to join the mainstream, but also makes the prospect of joining or supporting a terrorist group unattractive and disproportionately costly. Fourth, in close coordination with friendly countries, take all necessary steps to stop the financing of terrorism.
Twenty-five years after 9/11, the threat of terrorism worldwide has not been eliminated, but has instead transformed into new forms. At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek on September 1, Mr Modi highlighted double standards on terrorism, saying: “We must send a strong message to countries that use terrorism as an instrument of policy and provide safe havens and support to terrorists, that terrorism can never be a strategic asset for anyone.” At the 18th BRICS summit in New Delhi, an exclusive paragraph on the Pahalgam terror attack was included in the Delhi Declaration, clearly underscoring the growing global consensus in the fight against terrorism.
Rajeev Agarwal is a retired colonel, senior research consultant at CRF, Delhi, and author of Between Tehran and Tel Aviv: The Story of the Endless War in Gaza.