What to Read in Indian Express Editorial( Topic and Syllabus wise)

Editorial 1: The Indian Ocean Mineral Exploration Push

Context:

India has emerged as a key player in deep-sea mineral exploration, becoming the first country to secure two contracts with the International Seabed Authority (ISA) for exploring polymetallic sulphides (PMS) in the Indian Ocean. These resources—rich in copper, nickel, cobalt, and rare earth elements—are vital for renewable energy technologies, green infrastructure, and advanced electronics, making the initiative geopolitically and strategically significant.

Formation of Poly-metallic Nodules:

• Polymetallic sulphides are mineral-rich deposits formed around hydrothermal ventson the ocean floor.
• These vents, where superheated water interacts with volcanic rocks, result in chimney-like structures containing high concentrations of valuable metals such as copper, gold, silver, zinc, and cobalt.
• These metals are in great demand due to their role in battery manufacturing, electric vehicles, solar panels, wind turbines, and electronics—critical sectors in the transition towards cleaner energy.
• While countries like China, South Korea, and Russia have already secured ISA contracts, India’s exploration is unique because it now holds rights in two separate regions, giving it a broader scope for resource identification.

India’s contracts with ISA:

• India’s first contract with the ISA dates back to 2016, when it was granted rights to explore 10,000 sq km of the Central Indian Ocean Ridge (CIR)for PMS deposits.
• Recently, it secured a second contract for 2,239 sq km in the Carlsberg Ridge (CR), located near the Lakshadweep islands. With these, India has become the first country to manage two exploration zones for PMS.
• The Carlsberg Ridge is a tectonically active region stretching between the Arabian and Somali basins. It is rich in hydrothermal vent fields and is believed to host abundant PMS deposits.
• The proximity of the CR zone to India enhances its strategic value, ensuring access to resources close to the country’s maritime boundaries.

Significance of these contracts:

• Resource Security: With global demand for metals like cobalt and nickel skyrocketing due to the push for green technologies, having early access to oceanic deposits ensures India does not remain dependent on volatile foreign supply chains.
• Geopolitical Leverage: Securing rights in the Indian Ocean enhances India’s strategic footprint in the region. Given increasing Chinese presence in deep-sea exploration, India’s contracts strengthen its claim as a leading player in maritime resource management.
• Scientific Advancement: These projects also push India’s research capabilities in oceanography, deep-sea mining technologies, and geology, areas in which the country is building expertise through institutions like the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT)in Chennai.
• Blue Economy: The initiative aligns with India’s Deep Ocean Mission and its broader vision of developing a sustainable “blue economy,” using marine resources for economic growth without harming ecosystems.

Challenges ahead:

• Despite the optimism, deep-sea exploration comes with several challenges:
• Extracting minerals at depths of 3,000–6,000 meters requires highly advanced remotely operated vehicles, robotics, and pressure-resistant equipment.India is still developing many of these systems.
• Mining hydrothermal vents can devastate fragile deep-sea ecosystems, many of which host unique species not found elsewhere. The ecological impact of large-scale extraction remains poorly understood. Balancing mineral needs with sustainability will be crucial.
• Deep-sea mining is capital-intensive. The costs of exploration, extraction, and processing may outweigh benefits if global prices for metals fluctuate.

India’s Deep Sea Mission:

• India’s contracts are valid for 15 years each, during which it must conduct detailed surveys, assess commercial viability, and submit environmental impact studies to the ISA. Only after completing this phase can extraction is considered.
• To strengthen its deep-sea program, India is investing heavily in the Deep Ocean Mission, launched in 2021. The mission includes developing technologies for mining polymetallicnodules and sulphides, creating manned submersibles capable of 6,000-metre dives, and establishing on-shore processing plants.
• India is also expected to work with international collaborators to refine mining technology and environmental safeguards.
• If executed responsibly, these efforts could place India at the forefront of sustainable deep-sea mining, ensuring both strategic autonomy and ecological balance.

Way Forward:

India’s twin contracts for PMS exploration in the Central Indian Ocean Ridge and Carlsberg Ridge mark a milestone in its maritime ambitions. They strengthen resource security, scientific capacity, and strategic influence in the Indian Ocean. However, realizing these benefits requires overcoming technological, ecological, and economic challenges.

 

Editorial 2: The Company Pakistan Keeps

Context:

Pakistan has increased its engagement with US and signed the military pact with Saudi Arabia. This changing geopolitics situation provide India valuable lesson of how pragmatically tweak its foreign policy to prioritize its domestic interest.

Transactional Bilateral relations between Pakistan and US:

• The recent bonhomie between the United States and Pakistan, marked by high-profile meetings between US President Donald Trump, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Army Chief Asim Munir, signals the beginning of another transactional phasein a long and chequered relationship.
• History has shown that while the US and Pakistan have never had a genuine strategic convergence, their periodic alignments have often resulted in damaging outcomes for regional peace and stability.
• During the Cold War, US financial and military support transformed Pakistan’s army into a praetorian force, encouraging adventurism both domestically and externally.
• Later, the “Afghan jihad” not only strengthened extremist zealots but unleashed forces of radicalization that continue to haunt South Asia and the wider world.
• In the post-9/11 “War on Terror,” Pakistan played a duplicitous role, receiving US aid while simultaneously sheltering and facilitating the Taliban, thereby enabling their eventual return to power in Kabul.
• Despite these experiences, Washington appears once again drawn toward Rawalpindi, exemplifying a recurring cycle of fatal attraction.

Reasons for present engagement:

• The present phase seems to have originated with the Trump family’s interest in Pakistan’s crypto industry, which provided a personal connection to the White House.
• Building on this, Pakistan offered the lure of critical minerals, leading to a recent $500 million US investment.
• Islamabad also played to Trump’s ego by endorsing his claims of preventing an India-Pakistan war in May and nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
• Official statements from Islamabad about Sharif’s meeting with Trump referred to investment opportunities in agriculture, IT, mining, and energy, alongside counterterrorism cooperation.
• However, the economic substance appears limited: overall bilateral trade is only around $57 billion annually, and talk of Pakistan’s “massive oil reserves” is misleading, given the absence of proven resources and security challenges to exploration.
• The security dimension seems more significant. Trump’s lavish treatment of Munir suggests that counterterrorism may not be the only agenda.  There may be collaboration on Afghanistan, where the US has struggled to secure access to bases such as Bagram.
• At the same time, Pakistan’s ties with the Taliban are fraying due to cross-border attacks. A convergence of interests could therefore emerge, with the US and Pakistan working together to pressure Kabul.

Military Pact with Saudi Arabia:

• Pakistan recently signed a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement with Saudi Arabia.
• Its subtext hints at the possibility of Pakistan extending a nuclear umbrella to Riyadh, a development that surprisingly has not provoked strong non-proliferation concerns in Washington.
• This silence could imply tacit US acceptance, possibly seeing Pakistan as part of broader American-led security architecture in West Asia.
• Moreover, Trump has presented a 21-point Gaza stabilization plan and may envision Pakistan contributing troops to an international force there. Sharif’s public praise for Trump’s Gaza peace efforts aligns with this reading.
• However, the road ahead for Pakistan will be complex.
• It’s deepening embrace of Washington risks creating friction with China. Its Belt and Road investments, particularly the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC),are central to Pakistan’s economy.
• Additionally, any significant Pakistani role in West Asia risks entangling it in the region’s volatile conflicts at a time when its domestic security environment remains fragile.

Lessons for India:

• For India, the rekindling of US-Pakistan ties is a matter of concern. In the past, US military and financial assistance to Pakistan has emboldened Islamabad to adopt aggressive policies towards New Delhi.
• Renewed Saudi investment in Pakistan’s defence industry or American aid flows could recreate a similar dynamic.
• Furthermore, India considers West Asia its extended neighbourhood, vital for energy supplies and its large Diaspora.
• Any Pakistani role in the region’s security architecture under US auspices would directly affect Indian interests.
• Historically, whenever Pakistan has enjoyed a stable equation with its major partners, it has felt emboldened to act adventurously against India.
• Hence, India must closely monitor these developments and adopt strategies to safeguard its own regional interests.

Way Forward:

Pakistan, after years of being cornered due to its terrorist links and internal crises, now seems to be slowly regaining geopolitical space. With China’s steady backing, its new defence pact with Saudi Arabia, and warming ties with the US, it is emerging from isolation. India must prioritize domestic economy reforms and use the international forums such as United Nations to corner Pakistan for promoting cross-border terrorism.