UPSC Key: Counter-terrorism cooperation, Afghanistan’s seismic risk, and India-UAE relations

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies-II, III: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests, Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security.

What’s the ongoing story: India and Bahrain have agreed to combat the threat of terrorism through enhanced bilateral and multilateral cooperation, including intelligence sharing, capacity building and cyber security, as they condemned the “armed terror attack in Pahalgam”.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is the history of India and Bahrain relations?

— What are the areas of cooperation between both the nations?

— How does cross-border terror pose a huge security challenge for India?

— India’s counter-terrorism doctrine—Know its evolution.

— Read about Operation Sindoor.

— What is the significance of Operation Sindoor in India’s counter-terrorism strategy?

— What are the key counter-terrorism bodies at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)?

— What are the challenges faced by India in preventing terrorism?

— What is the significance of India and Bahrain counter-terrorism cooperation?

Key Takeaways:

— External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif Bin Rashid Alzayani, who is in India, on Monday and they discussed cooperation in defence and security.

— A joint statement after the talks said: “The two sides expressed optimism for enhancing future collaboration in the areas of defence and security. The visit of three Indian naval ships to Bahrain in September 2025 has helped deepen engagement between the two sides and reaffirmed India’s commitment to regional maritime security.”

— It also said that the two sides “unequivocally condemned terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations and reaffirmed strong commitment to combat terrorism, including cross-border terrorism”.

— Jaishankar said, “We have also seen a steady growth of bilateral trade and investments between our countries. We welcome investors from Bahrain to come and explore investment opportunities in India. Conclusion of a Bilateral Investment Treaty, and the establishment of a Joint Working Group on Trade and Investment will boost our economic ties.”

Do You Know:

— India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ after the terror attack in Pahalgam, hitting nine terror locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). This marked the most expansive and widespread retaliation by India in recent years, since the Balakot airstrikes in 2019 and the surgical strikes following the Uri attack in 2016. The attacks were made at nine locations, which were terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

Analyse the complexity and intensity of terrorism, its causes, linkages and obnoxious nexus. Also suggest measures required to be taken to eradicate the menace of terrorism. (UPSC CSE 2021)

UAE to have India House, set to declare yoga a competitive sport

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

What’s the ongoing story: Almost 20 months after the opening of a Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi, another cultural landmark is in the offing — an India House in the capital of the UAE, which as per plan may come up in a couple of years. It will serve as the centre of strengthening ties in art and culture, student exchanges and to highlight shared history. The Gulf nation is also set to declare yoga as a competitive sport.

Key Points to Ponder:

— Read about the evolution of the India-UAE bilateral relations?

— What is the status of the India-UAE relationship?

— What are the emerging areas of cooperation between India and the UAE?

— What is the significance of West Asia for India?

— Read about the Gulf Cooperation Council. 

— What is India’s foreign policy towards West Asia?

— Map work: Locate the UAE on the map. (Refer to Atlas)

Key Takeaways:

— This was discussed at a recent meeting in Abu Dhabi held between an Indian delegation comprising representatives from several ministries with their UAE counterparts, those aware of the proceedings said.

— The Gulf country with a four-million-strong Indian community is also planning to include yoga as a competitive sport, considering its popularity in the country. All this is coming out of the second Joint Steering Committee Meeting of the India-UAE Cultural Council, held in Abu Dhabi on October 8-9. The ICCR Director-General, Nandini Singla, led the Indian delegation comprising representatives from the ministries of Tourism, Culture, Youth Affairs, National Archives of India and the Nalanda University.

— The UAE side was led by Noura Al Kaabi, MoS in the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The meeting also discussed several initiatives to strengthen cooperation in the domains of youth engagement, sports, education, tourism, and archival collaboration, thus reaffirming the role of culture in the strategic partnership, officials said.

— The meeting built upon the foundation established during the first Joint Steering Committee meeting in New Delhi in March this year, when Al Kaabi had visited India. The Cultural Council Forum was established in 2022 through an MoU between the two nations, followed by a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UAE President Sheikh Mohammad.

— The UAE is also actively moving to formalise yoga as a competitive sport, as reported by The National recently. To achieve this, a national framework through the UAE Yoga Committee is being developed, which operates under the Ministry of Sports. The UAE would become the first Gulf country to grant yoga full sporting recognition.

Do You Know:

— Trade to cultural collaboration: While trade remains a pillar of India-UAE cooperation, the importance of cultural ties is not lost on either side. While establishing a economic pact in 2022, the countries expressed interest in forming a cultural partnership. The new initiatives originate from this.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍India-UAE, a decade of successful engagement

UPSC Prelims Previous year and Practice Question Covering similar theme:

(1) Which one of the following countries of South-West Asia does not open out to the Mediterranean Sea? (UPSC CSE 2015)

(a) Syria

(b) Jordan

(c) Lebanon

(d) Israel

(2) Consider the following countries:

1. Oman

2. Yemen

3. Jordan

4. Qatar

5. UAE

Which of the countries given above are members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)?

(a) 1, 2, 3 and 4 only

(b) 2, 3, 4 and 5 only

(c) 4 and 5 only

(d) 1, 4 and 5 only

 

FRONT

Signs of pullback: Sharp drop in Russia oil exports to India after US sanctions

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests. 

What’s the ongoing story: Russian oil dispatches to India have dropped sharply after the US announced sanctions on Moscow’s oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil on October 22, according to provisional tanker data. These are still early days and industry experts believe it would be a month or so to get a clear picture. But refiners seem wary of Washington’s latest sanctions, which are set to take effect from November 21.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What are the reasons for the US sanction on Russian oil?

— What is the status of India’s import of oil from Russia?

— How does the ban by the US on Russian oil impact Indian refineries?

— What are secondary sanctions?

— How U.S. tariff threats have influenced India’s decisions on oil import diversification?

— Read about the India-Russia relations. 

Key Takeaways:

— In the week to October 27, crude oil exports to India from Russia averaged 1.19 million barrels per day (bpd), significantly down from 1.95 million bpd in the previous two weeks, as per provisional vessel tracking data from global commodity data and analytics provider Kpler.

— As expected, the crash in exports is driven by lower dispatches from Rosneft and Lukoil, which account for over half of Russia’s oil production and exports, and used to make up over two-thirds of India’s Russian oil imports. 

— Given that the journey time for tankers transporting Russian crude to Indian ports through the Suez Canal—the main supply route—could be up to a month, the fall in oil exports from Rosneft and Lukoil appear consistent with the November 21 deadline prescribed by Washington for all dealings with the two companies to be wound down. Till then, Russian oil deliveries at Indian ports are expected to remain robust. Deliveries remained robust in October as this oil would have been contracted weeks before the US hit Rosneft and Lukoil with sanctions.

— With the US imposing sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, India’s Russian oil imports are set to drop drastically. The threat of secondary sanctions from the US is the reason why countries like India, while politically opposed to unilateral economic sanctions, usually steer clear of countries and other entities sanctioned by Washington. 

— While primary sanctions—on Rosneft and Lukoil in this case—mainly curtail or prohibit the engagement of American citizens and entities with the sanctioned entities, secondary sanctions seek to limit the engagement of other countries and their entities—over whom the US has no legal control—with the target country or entity. Oil industry insiders said companies and banks are likely to exercise abundant caution to ensure they do not attract secondary sanctions.

— OFAC—Office of Foreign Assets Control—of the US Department of the Treasury administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions imposed by Washington. 

— Considering that other Russian oil exporters and intermediary traders dealing in Russian crude have not been sanctioned by Washington, some volumes of Russian oil could still find their way to India, although nowhere close to that seen over the past three years.

— The latest move from the Donald Trump administration—which had so far not imposed direct sanctions on Russian oil majors even as it pressured New Delhi to cut oil imports from Moscow—is a major escalation in its bid to force the Kremlin’s hand into ending the war in Ukraine.

—Historically, India has avoided oil imports from countries like Iran and Venezuela, whose oil was sanctioned by the US, and industry watchers and experts expect a similar approach on oil from Rosneft and Lukoil. Given Indian refiners’ and banks’ exposure to the US—from dollar-denominated trade to access to the American financial system and markets—potential secondary sanctions could have a significant impact on them.

— To offset reduced direct Russian inflows, Indian refiners are expected to increase procurement from West Asia, West Africa, Latin America, and North America. India is the world’s third-largest consumer of crude oil and depends on imports to meet around 88 per cent of its requirement.

Do You Know:

—  Russia is currently India’s largest source of crude, accounting for over 35 per cent of India’s overall oil imports so far in 2025. Majority of Russian crude oil flowing to India was being imported by private sector refiners RIL and Nayara Energy.

— Under international law, secondary sanctions are viewed as coercive measures that penalise third states or their entities for maintaining relations with a sanctioned actor. Unlike primary sanctions, which regulate a state’s own nationals and territory, secondary sanctions target external actors to influence their dealings with the primary target.

— They operate by altering access to the sanctioning state’s market or financial system, creating indirect pressure on third parties to conform to the sanctioning state’s policy objectives.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Can US sanctions on 2 Russian oil cos hurt Moscow?

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(3) With reference to furnace oil, consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2021)

1. It is a product of oil refineries.

2. Some industries use it to generate power.

3. Its use causes sulphur emissions into environment.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

 

EXPLAINED

What makes Afghanistan so prone to earthquakes

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian and World Geography-Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.

Mains Examination: General Studies-I: Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location-changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.

What’s the ongoing story: A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif early on Monday, killing at least seven people and injuring about 150, just months after a quake and strong aftershocks killed more than 2,200 people at the end of August.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is an earthquake?

— What causes an earthquake?

— Why does the depth of an earthquake matter?

— What are p-waves and s-waves?

— What are tectonic plates?

— What are the different earthquake zones in India?

— What are the most earthquake-prone countries in the world?

Key Takeaways:

— Hemmed in by rugged mountains, Afghanistan is prone to a range of natural disasters, but its earthquakes cause the most fatalities, killing about 560 people on average each year and causing annual damages estimated at $80 million. Studies indicate at least 355 earthquakes with a magnitude higher than 5.0 have hit Afghanistan since 1990.

— Afghanistan is located on the edge of the Eurasian tectonic plate, which shares a transgression zone with the Indian plate – implying the two may converge or brush past each other – and is also influenced by the Arabian plate to its south, creating one of the world’s most tectonically active regions.

— The northward movement of the Indian plate and its thrust against the Eurasian plate is usually responsible for Afghanistan’s numerous quakes.

— Eastern and northeastern Afghanistan, especially regions along its borders with Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Pakistan, are particularly prone to earthquakes.

— Earthquakes are also particularly dangerous in Afghanistan’s mountains where they can trigger landslides, exacerbating loss of life and property.

— How can the country build resilience? Studies recommend new structures be built in an earthquake-resistant way and existing buildings be retrofitted to reduce chances of collapse.

— Better monitoring and early warning systems must also be created for more timely alerts, while fault lines should be mapped using geospatial and remote sensing technologies to enable relocation of people in vulnerable areas, they suggest.

Do You Know:

— An earthquake is an intense shaking of the ground caused by movement under the Earth’s surface. It happens when two blocks of the Earth suddenly slip past one another. This releases stored-up ‘elastic strain’ energy in the form of seismic waves, which spread through the Earth and cause the shaking of the ground.

— The Earth’s outermost surface, crust, is fragmented into tectonic plates. The edges of the plates are called plate boundaries, which are made up of faults — zones of fractures between two blocks of rock. The tectonic plates constantly move at a slow pace, sliding past one another and bumping into each other. As the edges of the plates are quite rough, they get stuck with one another while the rest of the plate continues to move.

— An earthquake occurs when the plate has moved far enough and its edges unstick on one of the faults. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) says that “the location below the Earth’s surface where the earthquake starts is called the hypocenter, and the location directly above it on the surface of the Earth is called the epicentre”.

— Ranking as the seventh most earthquake-prone country in the world, India is vulnerable to seismic activity. India’s vulnerability to earthquakes stems from its geographical position at the convergence of multiple tectonic plates, its intricate geological structure, and a rapidly growing population paired with widespread unregulated construction practices.

— According to ndma.gov.in, approximately 59 per cent of its land area is at risk of experiencing moderate to severe seismic events, capable of registering an intensity of VII on the MSK scale or higher.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Knowledge nugget of the day: Earthquakes—Why is the Himalayan zone seismically active?

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

Discuss about the vulnerability of India to earthquake related hazards. Give examples including the salient features of major disasters caused by earthquakes in different parts of India during the last three decades. (UPSC CSE 2021)

Can advocates be summoned by agencies? What SC held

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Constitution of India —historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.

What’s the ongoing story: The Supreme Court on Friday (October 31) issued directions barring the police or prosecuting agencies from summoning legal professionals to reveal communications provided while advising their clients.

Key Points to Ponder:

— Know about the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), 2023?

— What is the attorney–client privilege provided under the BSA, 2023?

— How do Articles 19(1)(g), 20(3), and 21 of the Indian Constitution protect advocates and clients in cases involving confidential communication?

— What safeguards does the BNSS, 2023 provide against misuse of summons to lawyers?

— What is the right to legal representation?

Key Takeaways:

— The three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India B R Gavai, with Justices K Vinod Chandran and N V Anjaria, delivering the judgment in a suo motu case, the court had taken up in June this year.

— The court was deciding on two specific questions: whether a lawyer who is involved in a case only in their professional capacity can be summoned by an investigating agency, and if their role extends beyond their professional duties, can such a summons be subjected to judicial oversight.

— The bench held that privilege under the BSA must be respected as such a protection exists “not to shield deviants,” but to ensure that “those involved in the task of administration of justice are not victimised or bullied” into revealing client information merely because they represented someone facing criminal allegations.

— Under the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), 2023, which replaced the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, communications between legal advisers and their clients are privileged, meaning they cannot be disclosed to a third party.

— Section 132 of the BSA states that an advocate is not allowed to disclose any communication, even after employment has ceased, except in three circumstances: if the client consents to it; the communication pertains to illegal purposes; and the advocate observes criminal activity being carried out during the employment.

— A lawyer is also exempted from testifying or revealing conversations with their client, whether made in oral, written, or electronic form.

— This privilege, the court clarified, is meant to protect the client’s right to effective representation and not to provide immunity to lawyers from lawful investigation.

— While attempting to strike a balance between evidentiary privilege and the needs of investigation, without introducing a new layer of judicial scrutiny for every summons, the court said that the privilege under Section 132 of the BSA, which protects advocates from disclosing any communication, must be respected, and that a lawyer cannot be summoned merely to reveal what a client had shared, except in limited situations such as when the advice was used to commit an illegal act or conceal a crime. 

— The court said that if an officer believes that an exception applies, the summons must spell out the specific facts that justify it and must have written approval from a superior officer who is not below the rank of Superintendent of Police.

— The Bar argued that summoning lawyers violates Articles 19(1)(g) and 21, as it interferes with their professional duties and clients right to effective legal representation. The court agreed that breaching confidentiality undermines these rights, noting that Section 132 of the BSA echoes the constitutional safeguard against self-incrimination under Article 20(3).

— While it declined to create new guidelines or procedures, it held that sufficient judicial oversight already exists under Section 528 of the BNSS. This provision allows any person, including an advocate, to challenge a summons before a court. The bench said, “We cannot deny the power altogether or place fetters on it by framing guidelines.” It added that the constitution provides adequate safeguards if investigative powers are misused.

— The court drew a clear line between confidential communication and the production of documents or devices. It held that Section 132 protects communications, not the physical or digital materials themselves. Under Section 94 BNSS, an investigating officer may direct production of documents or devices believed to be relevant, but this must be done through the court, not directly to investigators.

— The court mandated that both the lawyers and the client be notified before any such production, allowing them to raise objections. If the device is examined, it must be done under judicial supervision, in the presence of the lawyer and client, and only relevant material may be accessed. To protect confidentiality, the court must ensure that information relating to other clients remains sealed and untouched.

— On the matter of in-house counsels, the SC noted that the in-house legal advisers are not covered by the privilege under Section 132, as they are salaried employees of a company. They fall outside the ambit of the definition of an “advocate” under the Advocates Act, 1961, which requires professional independence. 

UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme:

(4) The provisions under Article 19 of the Constitution of India are:

1. to assemble peaceably and with arms

2. to form unions

3. to reside and settle in any part of the territory of India

4. to carry on any occupation

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1, 2 and 3 only

(b) 2, 3 and 4 only

(c) 3 and 4 only

(d) 2 and 4 only

 

THE EDITORIAL PAGE

An Indian way for G2

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora. 

What’s the ongoing story: Sanjaya Baru writes- “With a tweet in all caps — “THE G2 WILL BE CONVENING SHORTLY” — United States President Donald Trump declared for the record a power shift that has been long in the making. It was in 2005 that American economist Fred Bergsten published a book titled The United States and the World Economy in which he proposed the idea that the US and China could “be a caucus of two” that could together work to ensure “sustained recovery of the global economy”.”

Key Points to Ponder:

— Read about the Global Financial Crisis of 2008-09.

— How geo-economics has influenced the US–China relations since the Global Financial Crisis.

— How is the recent US-China trade truce going to impact India?

— What is the status of the trade deal between India and the US? What are key issues in their trade talk?

— What can be the implications of the renewed US–China understanding for India’s foreign policy?

— What is the status of India’s bilateral relations with the US and China? 

Key Takeaways:

— “The idea was quickly picked up to suggest that the two leading and dominant economies of the West and the East could in fact constitute a geo-economic condominium that would help manage the world economy. It was not a geopolitical concept but a geo-economic one. For his part, Bergsten distanced himself from those who went on to suggest that a G2 could substitute for the G20 and insisted that he did not think the G2 should be viewed as “managing” the world economy, but rather as “cooperating” to ensure speedy global economic recovery.”

— “It was the Trans-Atlantic Financial Crisis (TAFC) of 2008-09, popularly referred to as the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), that gave further currency to the idea. American politicians and strategists like Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzezinski pushed the idea forward. The reason for this was simple.”

— “Two consequences of TAFC were that it contributed to a shrinking of the trans-Atlantic economies, especially the US, Britain, Germany, Italy and France, and to an increase in China’s share of world income and trade. More importantly, China came to the rescue of the world economy, helping both the US and EU bounce back from the 2009 crisis. It had initially done so in its neighbourhood, rescuing Thailand and Indonesia after the 1998 Asian financial crisis. In 2009 it was, in fact, bailing out the world’s biggest economy.”

— “It was against this background that US strategists like Edward Luttwak and Robert Blackwill advocated the “geo-economic containment” of China. Trump adopted the Luttwak line during his first term in office with the enthusiastic support of his trade policy strategist Robert Lighthizer. President Joe Biden initially went a step further and advocated “delinking” the US and Chinese economies. This view was soon changed to suggest that the two economies cannot delink but that the US economy should “derisk” and reduce dependence on China.”

— “Returning to office, Trump went back to his initial strategy of pursuing a “trade war”, not just against China but against the rest of the world. That strategy seems to have run its course. While allies like the European Union and Japan fell in line, Brazil, China and India have stood their ground. It is China’s ability to not only stand firm but to in fact retaliate that seems to have finally put paid to Trump’s trade war.”

— “While many have termed the US-China understanding reached last week in South Korea a “ceasefire”, some US strategists like Rush Doshi have in fact suggested that China has “won” the trade war. Whatever the final tally of gains and losses, the fact remains that within two decades of the publication of Bergsten’s book, a US president has come around to conceding that the world’s two biggest economies must indeed work together. The revival of the G2 idea also stands in contrast to Trump’s disinterest in the G20.”

— “What does this mean for India? In his outlining of the foreign policy agenda of the Narendra Modi government, in the book The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World (2020), External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that India’s policy of multi-alignment would require it to “engage America, manage China, cultivate Europe, reassure Russia, bring Japan into play, draw neighbours in, extend the neighbourhood and expand traditional constituencies of support”. It would be fair to say today that thanks to Trump, India is now required to in fact “manage” America and “engage” China, while continuing to “reassure” Russia.”

— “It should be clear to any Indian strategist and security analyst that in the near term, India’s standing in the world will depend vitally on its standing within Asia. There was a time when it was believed in New Delhi that a good equation with Washington, DC would in turn facilitate improved equations around the world — in Europe, Eurasia and Asia. It was this perspective that informed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s outreach to President George Bush.”

— “That world has changed and those calculations no longer hold. We are in fact in a situation wherein better relationships across Asia will stand India in good stead in dealing with the West — both the US and Europe. 

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Washington-Beijing rivalry is more than a tale of rise and decline — it’s a mirror of two nations wrestling to determine the next global order

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

‘What introduces friction into the ties between India and the United States is that Washington is still unable to find for India a position in its global strategy, which would satisfy India’s National self-esteem and ambitions’. Explain with suitable examples. (UPSC CSE 2019)

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PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

1. (b)      2. (d)     3. (d)     4. (b)

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