R&AW in Saudi Arabia by Pavneet Singh | Based on a True Story | English & Hindi

R&AW in Saudi Arabia — by Pavneet Singh | Based on a True Story

India’s intelligence work is, by design, invisible. R&AW does not brief the press, does not publish memoirs, and does not correct the record when it is wrong. Almost everything the public believes about it is guesswork.

This book claims to be an exception. It follows a female R&AW operative, dispatched from New Delhi into Saudi Arabia during the years of Mohammed bin Salman’s consolidation of power — one of the most volatile and consequential periods in recent Middle Eastern politics.

The narrative is presented as being drawn from real events. It is a tribute, in the author’s framing, to the silent officers who work without recognition and whose successes are never announced.

What the Book Explores

The book poses a series of questions about R&AW’s alleged role in the region and constructs its narrative around them — from covert intelligence-gathering and surveillance operations to the quiet diplomacy that shapes how states deal with one another. It examines:

• How intelligence actually feeds diplomacy — the unseen work that precedes every public agreement between nations
• The Gulf as a strategic theatre for India — energy, remittances, the Indian diaspora, and the relationships that protect all three
• The tradecraft of an operative in a hostile environment — risk, discipline and the cost of being unable to tell anyone what you do
• India–Saudi relations during a period of dramatic transformation in the Kingdom

Note: this is a narrative work, presented by its publisher as based on true events. Its specific claims about individuals and incidents are the author’s, and readers should engage with them as such.

Why an Aspirant Might Read This

This is not a syllabus book, and it will not teach you the GS curriculum. What it offers is something a textbook cannot: a feel for how the machinery of statecraft actually operates — the intelligence, the leverage, the relationships that sit underneath the joint statements you read about in the newspaper.

• West Asia in India’s foreign policy is a recurring GS Paper-II theme, and the Gulf is central to it
• Internal and external security (GS-III) — the role and limits of intelligence agencies in national security
• Essay and Interview — a more textured understanding of how diplomacy really works, which is worth more than another memorised bilateral fact
• And for aspirants running on fumes at the end of a study day, it is simply a gripping read that still keeps you in the world you are preparing for

Choose Your Edition

Available in both English and Hindi (R&AW in सऊदी अरब — सच्ची घटना पर आधारित). Select your preferred edition from the dropdown above.

Who Is This Book For?

• UPSC aspirants interested in International Relations, West Asia and national security
• PSIR optional students — India’s Gulf policy is core territory
• Readers who want an engaging break from textbooks without leaving the subject behind
• Anyone drawn to intelligence, geopolitics and statecraft as a subject in its own right

About the Author

Pavneet Singh is a well-known teacher of International Relations, Security Studies and Current Affairs for the Civil Services examination, having taught on Unacademy and PrepLadder. He is the author of several bestselling UPSC titles, including Taliban, Indian Polity Mind Maps, Passport to LBSNAA, UPSC Lal Kitab and The Indian Economy.

Book Details

• Author: Pavneet Singh
• Publisher: Unique Publishers
• Available in: English (ISBN 978-93-6649-582-8) and Hindi
• Genre: Narrative non-fiction — intelligence, geopolitics, West Asia
• Relevance: UPSC International Relations, PSIR Optional, general reading

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Is this a UPSC preparation book?
No. It is a narrative work, not a syllabus book. Read it for context and for a genuine feel of how statecraft and intelligence intersect — not as a substitute for your IR notes.

Q. Is it fiction or non-fiction?
The publisher presents it as based on a true story. It is written as a narrative, and its specific claims are the author’s own. Read it as such.

Q. Is the Hindi edition a full translation?
Yes. R&AW in सऊदी अरब carries the same narrative in Hindi.

Q. What else has Pavneet Singh written?
Taliban, Indian Polity Mind Maps, Passport to LBSNAA and UPSC Lal Kitab — all in our Unique Publishers collection.