20 September 2025

• The Supreme Court dismissed a petition objecting to Booker Prize-winning author Banu Mushtaq (a Muslim) inaugurating the Mysuru Dasara festivities, citing the Preamble’s secular ethos.
• The petitioner argued that a non-Hindu could not perform rituals in a Hindu temple.
• Trigger: The Karnataka HC dismissed the plea earlier (Sept 15, 2025), but it was appealed in SC.

Historical/Institutional Background

• Mysuru Dasara: A 400-year-old tradition, formerly a royal event, now a state-sponsored cultural festival. Secularism in India: Enshrined in the Preamble (42nd Amendment, 1976) and reaffirmed in landmark cases like Kesavananda Bharati (1973) and S.R. Bommai (1994).
  • 1994 M. Ismail Faruqui case: Court held that the State has “no religion of its own”.

Key Facts/Data (Prelims Pointers)

• Article 25: Freedom of conscience and free profession, practice, and propagation of religion (subject to public order, morality, health).
• Article 27: Prohibits use of public funds for promotion of any religion.
• Preamble: Secularism, liberty of thought, faith, equality, fraternity.
• S.R. Bommai (1994): Secularism is part of the Basic Structure.
• M.Ismail Faruqui (1994): State has no religion of its own.

Static Linkages

• Polity: Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Basic Structure doctrine.
• History: Evolution of Mysuru Dasara from monarchy to state festival.
• Philosophy: Swami Vivekananda’s inclusive spiritual vision.

Critical Analysis Opportunities/Pros

• Reinforces constitutional secularism and the State’s neutral role.
• Strengthens social harmony and fraternity amidst religious polarization.
• Prevents misuse of “essential religious practices” doctrine for exclusion.

Challenges/Cons

• Risk of political controversies in religious-cultural events.
• Perception of “interference” in religious traditions. Rising petitions on religious sensitivities may burden judiciary.

Long-term Implications

• Judicial reaffirmation of secularism sets precedents for future disputes.
• Encourages inclusive participation in state-sponsored cultural events.
• Balances individual rights (Art. 25) with State secularism.

Way Forward

• Codify guidelines for state involvement in religious- cultural events.
• Promote cultural pluralism (e.g., diverse inaugurators for festivals).
• Awareness campaigns on constitutional values (Preamble literacy).
• Draw lessons from global best practices: French laïcité model vs. Indian positive secularism.

THE SAUDI-PAKISTAN PACT IS A DODGY INSURANCE POLICY

• On 17 September 2025, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani PM Shahbaz Sharif signed the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) in Riyadh, with Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, in attendance.
• The pact is seen as Riyadh’s response to regional insecurity (Iran, Israel, Yemen conflicts, and declining U.S. credibility as a security guarantor in the Gulf).
• Historically, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have shared close ties since 1951, with peaks in 1979–89 (20,000 Pakistani troops stationed in Saudi). But ties soured due to mistrust, differences over Shia inclusion, and Pakistan’s refusal to deploy troops during the Kuwait crisis (1990) and Yemen war (2015).
• The U.S. factor remains central — the Pentagon has traditionally underpinned Riyadh–Islamabad defence cooperation. Recent moves align with Trump-era diplomacy and broader GCC security recalibrations.

Key Facts/Data (Prelims Pointers)

• Pakistan is the only declared nuclear power in the Islamic world.
• Saudi Arabia has ordered $100 billion worth of advanced U.S. weaponry (2025).
• GCC credibility crisis: U.S. failure to defend Qatar after Israeli airstrike on Sept 9, 2025.
• India is world’s 3rd-largest oil importer and among Saudi Arabia’s top 2 crude buyers. Indian diaspora: largest in Saudi Arabia, highly valued for competence & low political activism.
• Saudi investment pledge in India: $100 billion (announced, but under-delivered so far).

Critical Analysis Opportunities / Pros

• For Saudi Arabia: Diversification of defence partnerships beyond U.S., potential nuclear umbrella, “Muslim boots on the ground” legitimacy.
• For Pakistan: Economic lifeline (Saudi oil & funds), defence hardware, leverage vis-à-vis India.
• For India: Continued strategic relevance to Riyadh due to oil, trade, diaspora and investment linkages.

Challenges / Cons

• Divergent threat perceptions: Pakistan reluctant to fight Saudi wars (Iran/Yemen), Saudis unlikely to aid Pakistan against India.
• Nuclear proliferation risks: Possible covert transfer of technology to Riyadh, alarming Israel and West.
• Geopolitical balancing: Riyadh cannot alienate India or the U.S.; Islamabad cannot break from China.
• Optics vs Reality: SMDA may be more symbolic than operational, meant to keep Pakistan away from Tehran.

Long-term Implications

• May trigger an arms race in West Asia if Iran accelerates nuclearisation.
• Erosion of U.S. credibility in GCC security framework. India must watch for Saudi tilt towards Pakistan if Riyadh feels cornered by Iran/Israel.
• Possible triangular axis: Saudi–Pakistan–U.S. complicating India’s West Asia outreach.

Way Forward

• For India:
  • Enhance energy security partnerships with Saudi Arabia.
  • Deepen defence and intelligence cooperation with Riyadh.
  • Maintain strategic balance between Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Israel.
  • Accelerate delivery on Saudi FDI commitments in India.
• Global Best Practices:
  • Encourage collective regional security frameworks (like OSCE in Europe).
  • Promote nuclear restraint regimes and revive talks on Middle East WMD-Free Zone.

A CLIMATE HEALTH VISION

• Brazil hosted the 2025 Global Conference on Climate and Health (July 29–31, Belém) with delegates from 90 countries, shaping the Belém Health Action Plan to be launched at COP30 (Nov 2025, Belém, Brazil).
• Aim: Define the global agenda on climate and health. India’s absence from official representation is significant, as its welfare schemes provide powerful models for climate-health synergies.
• Historically: Climate–health linkages gained attention post-Paris Agreement (2015) and WHO’s COP26 Health Commitments (2021).

Key Facts / Prelims Pointers

• PM POSHAN: Covers 11 crore+ children, 11 lakh schools, promotes millets (UN declared 2023 as International Year of Millets) → climate-resilient food security.
• Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (2014): Tackled sanitation, dignity, environmental sustainability.
• MNREGA: Labour + ecosystem restoration (e.g., water conservation, afforestation).
• PM Ujjwala Yojana (2016): Clean cooking fuel, reduces household air pollution (responsible for ~600,000 premature deaths in India annually – WHO).
• Global South perspective: India’s schemes show co- benefits of welfare policies → climate & health.
• Health as a co-benefit: Not primary aim, but crucial outcome.

Static Linkages

• Polity: Art. 21 (Right to life & health), Art. 47 (Duty of State to improve public health), Art. 48A (Environment protection).
• Economy: MNREGA as counter- cyclical buffer, LPG subsidy issues. Geography & Environment: Climate- resilient agriculture (millets, water conservation).
• IR: COP process, climate-health diplomacy.

Critical Analysis Opportunities/Pros

• India’s schemes → blueprint for integrated, intersectoral action.
• Political leadership framing climate as health issue → greater public acceptance.
• Community engagement (cultural symbols, PTAs, SHGs).
• Builds South-South cooperation model at COP30.

Challenges / Cons

• Siloed governance → weak inter-ministerial coordination.
• Economic barriers (e.g., LPG refill cost in PMUY). Cultural & social resistance (to sanitation, clean fuel use).
• Lack of official presence at Brazil conference → missed soft power moment.

Long-Term Implications

• Risk of India being a policy-taker, not policy-shaper in climate-health diplomacy.
• Domestic welfare models risk under-recognition internationally.
• Potential to integrate health impact assessments into climate policy.

Way Forward

• Embed health lens into all climate policies (like EIA → Health IA).
• Institutionalise intersectoral governance (PM-led missions, NITI Aayog role).
• Global leadership: India must highlight its welfare models at COP30 & G20 Health-Climate track.
• Community-driven models → Panchayats, ASHA workers, SHGs as climate-health champions.
• Equity lens: Ensure affordability (e.g., sustained LPG subsidies).

QUIT STALLING

• Trigger: Rahul Gandhi accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of inaction in the Aland constituency electoral roll fraud case (2023 Karnataka Assembly elections).
• Issue: Nearly 6,000 legitimate voters were targeted for deletion via fraudulent Form-7 applications (used for voter removal).
• Investigative Blockage: Karnataka CID’s probe stalled as ECI refused access to crucial destination IP & port data needed to trace the fraudsters.
• Broader Significance: Raises concerns on ECI’s credibility, already under scrutiny due to issues in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of rolls in Bihar.

Historical/Institutional Background:

• Election Commission of India (ECI): Constitutional body under Article 324 of the Indian Constitution, responsible for conducting free & fair elections.
• Electoral Roll  Manipulation: Not new — past instances include bogus voters, deletions, impersonation. SC has called **free & fair elections part of the Basic Structure (Indira Gandhi vs Raj Narain, 1975; Mohinder Singh Gill case, 1978)*.
• Form-7: Used under Rule 13(2) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 to object to names in the voter list.

Key Facts / Prelims Pointers

• Article 324 – Powers of ECI.
• Representation of the People Act, 1950 & 1951 – legal framework for electoral rolls and elections.
• Form-7 – Application to remove names from rolls. Electoral Roll Purification Programmes – SIR (Special Intensive Revision), ERONET (centralised software for rolls).
• Supreme Court Rulings – Free & fair elections = part of Basic Structure.
• Voter Deletion Attempt – 6,000 names in Aland (Karnataka, 2023).
• Technology Link – Need for “destination IP & port data” to trace digital frauds.

Critical Analysis Opportunities/Pros

• ECI prevented actual deletion of 6,000 voters.
• Exposure of fraud opens debate on strengthening electoral systems.
• Highlights digital forensic gaps in India’s investigative mechanisms.

Challenges/Cons

• ECI’s refusal to share technical data weakens investigation.
• Public trust in ECI eroding → affects legitimacy of elections.
• Form-7 loopholes → easy misuse for voter suppression. Political rhetoric may overshadow structural reforms needed.

Long-term Implications

• Weakening institutional credibility of ECI. Risks of disenfranchisement of voters, especially marginalised groups.
• Possible precedent for cyber-enabled electoral manipulation.

Way Forward

• ECI Cooperation: Share forensic-level data with investigating agencies (with safeguards).
• Form-7 Reform: Restrict third-party voter deletion applications, add OTP/Aadhaar authentication.
• Technological Upgradation: Use blockchain or tamper- proof databases for electoral rolls.
• Independent Oversight: Parliamentary or judicial committee to review ECI functioning.
• Public Awareness: Campaigns to educate voters about electoral roll verification.
• Global Best Practices:
  • Estonia – Blockchain-backed digital electoral system.
  • Canada – Independent Elections Canada body with high transparency in voter roll management.

• On 17 September 2025, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) in Riyadh.
• The pact declares that “any aggression against one shall be considered aggression against both” – a shift from ad hoc cooperation to an institutionalised defence pact.
• Trigger: The deal was signed just a week after Israel’s bombing of Qatar, which hosts the U.S. Central Command’s Al Udeid Air Base, raising questions about the credibility of U.S. security guarantees.
• Historical context:
  • Pakistan has long trained Saudi forces; Saudi Arabia has been a major financial donor, including aid during Pakistan’s nuclear programme.
  • After 2019 Iranian-linked drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities and U.S. inaction, Gulf monarchies began hedging beyond Washington.
  • The Abraham Accords (2020) aimed at Arab– Israel normalisation were derailed post Hamas’s 7 Oct 2023 attacks and israel”s GAZA war. 

Key Facts / Prelims Pointers

• Saudi Arabia: Custodian of Islam’s two holiest mosques (Makkah & Madinah).
• Pakistan: Islamic world’s only nuclear power.
• Al Udeid Air Base (Qatar): Largest U.S. base in West Asia.
• Abraham Accords (2020): UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan normalised ties with Israel.
• 2019 drone attack: Iranian-linked Houthis attacked Aramco oil facilities in Abqaiq & Khurais; U.S. response was minimal.
• Pakistan’s financial dependence: Receives loans, oil credit facilities, and remittances from Gulf.
• India fought with Pakistan in May 2025, raising stakes for regional geopolitics.

Critical Analysis Opportunities / Pros

• For Saudi: Diversifies security partnerships beyond the U.S. & Israel.
• For Pakistan: Gains financial & strategic lifeline, presents itself as security guarantor in Gulf.
• For Gulf: Counters unchecked Israeli militarism, rebalances power.

Challenges / Cons

• Entrapment risks: Pakistan dragged into Gulf wars; Saudi pulled into South Asia’s conflicts.
• Nuclear ambiguity: Unclear if Pakistan extends its nuclear umbrella → proliferation fears.
• India’s dilemma: Pro-Israel tilt could clash with Arab sensitivities; risk of alienating energy partners.
• US discomfort: Undermines U.S.-led security order.

Long-term implications

• Institutionalisation of Islamic security axis (nuclear + financial).
• Redefines West Asia’s multipolarity.
• India must rethink over-dependence on Israel-U.S. axis and preserve space with Gulf monarchies.

Way Forward

• For India:
  • Pursue a balanced West Asia policy – maintain ties with Israel without alienating Arab states.
  • Invest in regional stability platforms (IBSA, BRICS+, SCO).
• Strengthen energy diplomacy & diversify supply.
• Global Best Practices:
  • Adopt NATO-style collective security but avoid nuclear ambiguity.
  • Promote regional dialogue mechanisms (like ASEAN Regional Forum in Asia-Pacific).

A DOCUMENT PAST ITS TIME

Context & Bachground

• Why important now?: The Indus Waters Treaty (1960) marks 65 years this year. It has long been seen as a rare example of successful water-sharing despite India–Pakistan conflicts.
• Trigger: Recent suspension of India’s participation in IWT mechanisms after terror attacks + devastating floods across Punjab (India) and Punjab (Pakistan), highlighting the treaty’s inadequacy in addressing climate-change-driven water challenges.
• Institutional background: Brokered by the World Bank in 1960, the IWT allocated eastern rivers (Sutlej, Beas, Ravi) to India and western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) to Pakistan, with dispute- resolution mechanisms.

Key Facts / Prelims Pointers

• IWT signed: 1960; parties: India, Pakistan, World Bank.
• India’s share: ~20% of Indus Basin waters (eastern rivers).
• Pakistan’s share: ~80% (western rivers).
• Floods 2025: affected 1,650 villages in Punjab, 1.75 lakh acres farmland submerged (India); 2 million people evacuated in Pakistan Punjab.
• Climate stress: Hindu Kush–Himalaya glaciers shrinking → altered flows. Erratic monsoons worsening floods & droughts
• Silent crisis: Reservoir siltation, shrinking storage capacity, rising riverbeds.
• India–China MoU (2002, renewed 2018): sharing hydrological data on Brahmaputra — cited as a functional model.

Critical Analysis Opportunities / Pros

• Model of conflict management despite wars.
• Enabled agricultural growth (Punjab, Rajasthan).
• India has consistently adhered to data- sharing obligations — credibility.

Challenges / Cons

• Treaty framed for 1960s irrigation/dams context, not climate change.
• Siltation & floods ignored in treaty.
• Used politically by Pakistan to strengthen Kashmir claim (Ayub Khan).
• Mechanisms inadequate for disaster management or ecosystem resilience.

Long-term implications

• Climate change threatens basin stability → “post-treaty era.”
• Without cooperative frameworks, water wars rhetoric may intensify.
• Shared data > allocation now: “data saves lives.”

Way Forward

• Modernise treaty: From water allocation → data-sharing, flood forecasting, climate resilience.
• National siltation policy: Turn silt into resource (soil enrichment, construction, land reclamation).
• Basin-level approach: Integrate water- energy-food-climate nexus.
• Regional cooperation: India–Pakistan– China basin data exchange (like Mekong Commission model).
• Technology use: Satellite monitoring, AI- based flood prediction.

SLIDING CURRENCY

• Trigger: India’s Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) V. Anantha Nageswaran indicated that the punitive US tariffs (25% on Russian oil-related imports from India) may not continue beyond 30 November 2025.
• Backdrop:
  • US-India trade tensions have persisted since 2018 (e.g., GSP withdrawal by the US).
  • Current 50% tariffs from the US are straining India’s trade, despite India’s $40+ bn trade surplus with the US.
  • Depreciation of the Indian rupee (₹88.44/$ on Sept 11, 2025) amidst global currency strengthening is worsening import costs and inflation.
  • Root cause: US tariffs + global dollar strength.

Key Facts / Prelims Pointers

• India-US Trade: India has a $40 bn trade surplus with the US.
• Rupee fall: Lost ~3% in 2025 (till Sept), hitting record low ₹88.44/$ (Sept 11).
• Other currencies (2025 gains vs $):
  • Euro +12%, Pound +8%, Yen +6%, Yuan +2.5%, Brazil’s Real +16%, Rand +7%.
• India = net importer of energy → weak rupee raises CAD + inflation risks.
• Silver lining: weaker rupee → more competitive exports.

Critical Analysis Opportunities / Pros

• Possibility of tariff rollback improves market sentiment & stabilises rupee.
• Weaker rupee → competitive exports, especially textiles, IT, pharma.
• Push for diversifying trade partners beyond US.

Challenges / Cons

• Import inflation → fuels subsidy burden, hurts households.
• Currency mismatch vs competitors (Brazil, China, EU) → relative loss of competitiveness.
• Tariff uncertainty deters FDI, disrupts supply chains.

Long-term Implications

• Rupee’s persistent underperformance risks loss of credibility as a stable currency.
• Rising import bill worsens CAD and fiscal deficit. Test for India’s trade diplomacy with the US under Trump 2.0.

Way Forward

• Trade Diplomacy: Conclude bilateral trade agreement with the US to reduce tariff exposure.
• Currency Management: RBI interventions + attract stable FPI/FDI inflows to support rupee.
• Export Push: Incentivise high-value exports, reduce dependence on primary goods.
• Energy Strategy: Diversify import sources, strengthen renewables to reduce forex vulnerability.
• Global Best Practices: Learn from countries like Brazil (currency stabilisation via diversified trade baskets).