CURRENT AFFAIRS | 27 APRIL 2026
CLAT GK + INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
India’s National Security Adviser, Ajit Doval, met UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on 26 April 2026, conveying greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and reviewing the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The meeting comes a week after Doval’s Riyadh visit and amid an unprecedented disruption: the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has reduced Indian shipping through that chokepoint to just 10 vessels in two months, jolting India’s energy supply lines. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited the UAE earlier this month.
The Gulf has moved to the centre of Indian foreign policy: 4.7 million Indian citizens live and work in the UAE alone, and India’s “Look West” / “Think West” doctrine knits together the GCC, Iran and Israel into a single strategic neighbourhood. For CLAT 2027 aspirants, the Doval visit is a perfect pivot for revising treaty-making power, the DPSPs on foreign policy, and India’s principal Gulf partnerships.
Constitutional & Legal Framework
- Article 51 (Part IV — DPSP) — directs the State to (a) promote international peace and security; (b) maintain just and honourable relations between nations; (c) foster respect for international law and treaty obligations; and (d) encourage settlement of international disputes by arbitration.
- Article 73 — extends the Union’s executive power to all matters Parliament can legislate on; this is the constitutional basis for treaty-making.
- Union List, Entry 14 — “entering into treaties and agreements with foreign countries and implementing of treaties, agreements and conventions with foreign countries”.
- Article 253 — empowers Parliament to make any law for implementing any treaty, agreement or convention with any other country, even on State-List subjects.
- India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), 2022 — India’s first Gulf FTA; in force since 1 May 2022.
- Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2017) — elevated bilateral ties during Crown Prince MBZ’s India visit (he was Republic Day chief guest in 2017).
- National Security Adviser — non-statutory office (created 1998), chairs the Strategic Policy Group, principal advisor to the PM on national security.
Why This Matters for CLAT 2027
The CLAT GK section regularly tests the constitutional architecture behind diplomatic news — and the Doval-MBZ meeting is a one-stop revision of three high-yield areas: (i) Article 51 DPSP and how India’s treaty obligations interact with municipal law (recall State of Madras v. G.G. Menon, 1954 — dualist approach); (ii) the Article 73 + Entry 14 + Article 253 treaty triangle; and (iii) India’s Gulf partnerships (CEPA 2022, CSP 2017, I2U2 with US-Israel-UAE, Combined Maritime Forces). Expect a passage describing a hypothetical India-UAE security pact and asking which constitutional provision authorises Parliament to legislate for its implementation. The Hormuz angle ties to UNCLOS, “transit passage” rights, and India’s energy-security doctrine.
Key Facts at a Glance
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Meeting | NSA Ajit Doval & UAE President Sheikh MBZ, Abu Dhabi, 26 Apr 2026 |
| Indian diaspora in UAE | ~4.7 million (largest in any single country) |
| India-UAE CEPA | Signed 18 Feb 2022; in force 1 May 2022 |
| Strategic upgrade | Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, 2017 |
| Strait of Hormuz | Connects Persian Gulf to Gulf of Oman/Arabian Sea; ~20% of global oil shipments |
| Constitutional anchor | Articles 51, 73, 253; Entry 14, Union List |
Mnemonic
“51-73-253” — India’s treaty triangle: Article 51 (DPSP — promote international peace) + Article 73 (Union executive power, source of treaty-making) + Article 253 (Parliament implements treaties, even on State-List subjects).
“CEPA-CSP-CMF” — three pillars of India-UAE-Gulf engagement: CEPA (trade), Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (security/diplomacy), Combined Maritime Forces (Bahrain-headquartered counter-piracy & Hormuz security task forces).
Implications & The Road Ahead
The Hormuz disruption has put India’s energy-security doctrine under real-time stress: with around 60% of India’s crude historically transiting Hormuz, alternative routes via the East Mediterranean (the IMEC corridor, signed at G20 New Delhi 2023) and stepped-up cooperation with the UAE’s Fujairah ports become strategically indispensable. Doval’s twin Saudi-UAE visits suggest India is preparing the diplomatic ground for a possible energy-security framework with both Gulf giants. Watch for an India-UAE defence-industrial agreement, an upgraded CEPA II covering services, and India’s deeper integration into Combined Task Force 153 in the months ahead.
Practice Quiz — 10 CLAT-Style Questions
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