The Hindu Editorial Analysis : 26th February 2026

The Hindu Editorial Analysis

We understand the significance of reading The Hindu newspaper for enhancing reading skills, improving comprehension of passages, staying informed about current events, enhancing essay writing, and more, especially for banking aspirants who need to focus on editorials for vocabulary building. This article will explore today’s editorial points, along with practice questions and key vocabulary.

Centre Introduces Policy to Address Terror Threats

• On Monday, the Ministry of Home Affairs released the country’s first-ever anti-terror policy. It said that apart from terrorism supported from across the border, criminal hackers and some foreign countries are regularly targeting India through cyber-attacks.
• The policy is called PRAHAAR and has been uploaded on the Ministry’s official website.
• It states that India faces terrorist threats in all three areas — water, land and air.
• The policy says that security systems have been strengthened to protect important sectors of the economy like power, railways, aviation, ports, defence, space and atomic energy from both state and non-state actors.
• The Hindu had first reported on December 23, 2025, that the National Counter Terrorism Policy and Strategy had been finalised and would soon be released.
• The policy clearly states that India does not link terrorism with any particular religion, ethnicity, nationality or civilisation.
• At the same time, it mentions that India has suffered due to “sponsored terrorism” from across the border, with Jihadi terror groups and their related organisations continuing to plan and carry out attacks.
• It also says that India has been a target of international terror groups like al-Qaeda and Islamic State, which have tried to create violence inside the country through sleeper cells.
• The policy adds that some extremists based in foreign countries have planned activities to spread terrorism in India.
• It notes that handlers from across the border are using modern technology like drones to support terror activities, especially in Punjab and J&K.
• It observes that terrorist groups are now working together with organised crime networks to arrange logistics and recruit people to carry out attacks.
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah had announced on November 7, 2024, that a National Counter Terrorism Policy and Strategy was being prepared to fight terrorism and the systems that support it.
• After the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror attack, the National Investigation Agency held meetings with anti-terror teams from all States and explained steps to prevent such attacks in the future.
• The policy says that terrorist groups use social media and messaging apps for propaganda, communication, funding and guidance.
• It also mentions that they misuse technology such as encryption, the dark web and crypto wallets to stay hidden and operate anonymously.
• It highlights that stopping terrorists from getting access to CBRNED (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive, Digital) materials is still a major challenge for Counter Terrorism (CT) agencies.
• The policy also shows concern about the misuse of drones and robots for deadly purposes by both state and non-state actors.
• As a future step, it recommends that legal experts should be involved at every stage of investigation so that strong cases can be built against terrorists.
• It points out that terror groups based abroad often depend on local groups in India for infrastructure, logistics and knowledge of the local area.
• It stresses that national efforts along with international and regional cooperation are necessary to fight cross-border terrorism
• The Ministry says that Indian intelligence and law enforcement agencies are continuously working to stop Indian youth from being recruited by extremist groups.
• It underlines the role of community leaders and religious leaders, saying that moderate preachers and NGOs are being involved to spread awareness about the dangers of radicalisation and extremist violence.
• The Ministry has also started an initiative to create a uniform anti-terror structure across all States, so that procedures are standardised and responses to attacks are coordinated.
• The main aim of the policy is to make all terrorist acts criminal offences and to block terrorists, their funders and supporters from getting money, weapons and safe places to hide.

Canadian Prime Minister to Arrive on February 27 for Trade Discussions

• Mark Carney will travel to Mumbai and Delhi this week as part of a three-country visit covering India, Australia and Japan. The aim is to strengthen and diversify Canada’s trade partnerships, according to an official statement.
• He will first arrive in Mumbai on February 27 and will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on March 2. They will discuss cooperation in trade, energy, technology, artificial intelligence (AI), talent and culture, and defence.
• The tour includes three important Indo-Pacific partners — India, Australia and Japan — who are members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue along with the United States. The visit is part of Canada’s Indo-Pacific strategy.
• Speaking about his 10-day visit, Mr. Carney said that in a time of global uncertainty, Canada is focusing on expanding trade and attracting new investments to create jobs and opportunities.
• He added that Canada is building new international partnerships to ensure certainty, security and prosperity at home.
• Before this visit, India’s External Affairs Minister Jaishankar met his Canadian counterpart Anita Anand during the Munich Security Forum.
• During his India visit, Mr. Carney is expected to push forward talks on a comprehensive economic partnership agreement, look for new investment opportunities, and increase cooperation in fossil fuels, nuclear energy and critical minerals technology.
• He will also try to improve relations after tensions between the Modi government and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, especially during his 2023 visit for the G-20 summit, when the Khalistan issue caused strain.
• Officials said that Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Canada last year for the G-7 outreach, where he met Mr. Carney, helped begin efforts to repair relations. This return visit is expected to strengthen that process.
• In early February, India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval travelled to Canada after tensions over the June 2023 killing of Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
• Canadian police had accused the Indian government of involvement in Nijjar’s killing. The trial of four arrested persons is expected to begin later this year. Reports say the Canadian Attorney-General has asked the court to keep some evidence confidential to protect international relations and national security, showing sensitivity to India’s concerns.
• In an official statement about Mr. Doval’s meeting with his Canadian counterpart Nathalie Drouin, India’s Ministry of External Affairs did not directly mention the Nijjar case but said both sides agreed on a joint work plan for cooperation on national security and law enforcement.
• Carney will hold formal talks with Mr. Modi on Monday and then travel to Australia and later to Tokyo to meet Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
• The visit comes after Mr. Carney’s recent trip to Beijing, where Canada and China restored trade ties, restarted visa services, and reduced restrictions on Chinese electric vehicles.

WhatsApp Informs Supreme Court That It Does Not Share User Data with Meta

• The messaging platform WhatsApp told the Supreme Court of India that it is not correct to say that it shares user data with other platforms of its parent company Meta Platforms.
• The case was heard by a three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant.
• Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for WhatsApp and Meta, said that the company’s technology is transparent and strongly protects privacy. He said there is “no question of breaking the law.”
• He also said that the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023 fully deals with the privacy concerns raised in the court.
• The court was hearing petitions by Meta and WhatsApp challenging a decision of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal, which had upheld a fine of ₹213.14 crore imposed by the Competition Commission of India.
• The CCI had ruled that WhatsApp’s “take-it-or-leave-it” 2021 privacy policy was an abuse of its dominant position in the market.
• It said that the earlier consent taken from users for sharing data with Meta was not truly voluntary.
• The CCI believed that users were forced to accept data sharing if they wanted to continue using WhatsApp.
• In its appeal, the NCLAT said that the main aim is to stop exploitation and restore real user choice.
• The tribunal said that true choice means users should decide what data is collected, how it is used and how long it is stored.
• It also clarified that any non-essential data use, like for advertising, can happen only with clear and revocable consent from users.
• On Monday, WhatsApp told the court that it will fully follow the NCLAT’s directions about user consent for data sharing by March 16, 2026.
• However, the tribunal had said that the CCI’s five-year ban on data sharing for advertising was unnecessary because users were already given the option to opt in or opt out.
• WhatsApp submitted a detailed affidavit explaining its end-to-end encryption system, after strong remarks from the Bench in the earlier hearing on February 3.
• During that hearing, the court had warned that it would not allow WhatsApp and Meta to violate the right to privacy of millions of users by sharing and commercially using their personal data.
• The Bench even compared such data sharing to a “decent way of committing theft.”
• Although WhatsApp and Meta said users can choose to opt out, the court remained critical.
• Senior advocate Madhavi Goradia Divan, appearing for the CCI, said that the matter also involves important competition law issues.
• She explained that data-sharing has two aspects: one related to privacy and data protection, and another related to market competition and consumer protection, which are legally separate issues.

Important Questions

1. PRAHAAR address threats from criminal hackers and nation states targeting India through cyber-attacks?
2. Why does the National Counter Terrorism Policy and Strategy emphasise the need for national actions combined with international and regional cooperation to tackle transnational terrorism?
3. What is the objective of Mark Carney’s three-nation tour covering India, Australia and Japan to strengthen and diversify Canada’s trade partnerships?
4. How did the Khalistan issue during Justin Trudeau’s 2023 visit to India for the G-20 summit lead to strained relations and sharp exchanges between the two governments?
5. Why did the Competition Commission of India impose a ₹213.14 crore penalty on WhatsApp for the 2021 privacy policy and abuse of dominant market position?
6. What did the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal state about restoring user choice regarding data collection, purposes of use and period of retention?

Important Vocabulary

1. Persistently – continuing firmly for a long time without stopping.
2. Incite – to encourage or provoke violent action.
3. Intercepting – stopping or catching something before it reaches its target.
4. Radicalisation – the process of making someone adopt extreme political or religious views.
5. Diversifying – making something varied or different.
6. Strained – tense or under pressure.
7. Orchestrating – planning and directing carefully.
8. Comprehensive – complete and covering all aspects.
9. Manufactured – artificially created or not genuine.
10. Redundant – unnecessary or not needed.
11. Affidavit – a written statement confirmed by oath for legal use.
12. Exploitation – unfair use of someone for benefit.

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