PM Modi to receive highest civilian award of UAE

The award in the name of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the UAE, acquires special significance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to pay a two-day state visit to Abu Dhabi from August 23, and also to Bahrain.

Hyderabad: In a major snub to Pakistan, UAE will confer its highest civilian award 'the order of Zayed' on Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his upcoming visit to the country.

Modi is scheduled to pay a two-day state visit to Abu Dhabi from August 23, and also to Bahrain, where the administration cracked down on Pakistanis holding an anti-India demonstration last week.

The award in the name of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the UAE, acquires special significance as it was awarded to Modi in the year of the birth centenary of Sheikh Zayed.

The award was conferred earlier in April 2019 in recognition of the distinguished leadership of Modi for giving a big boost to bilateral relations between the two countries.

On August 6, UAE said that the Indian government's decision to abrogate Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir was an internal matter of India aimed at improving efficiency.

During his visit, Modi will meet the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to discuss bilateral, regional and international matters of mutual interest.

India-UAE bilateral trade stands at $60 billion, and the Abu Dhabi is New Delhi's third-largest trade partner. The UAE is also the fourth-largest exporter of crude oil for India and is home to a 3.3 million-strong Indian community.

The Prime Minister would pay a state visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain from August 24-25 in the first-ever Prime Ministerial visit from India to Bahrain.

Last week, the Bahrain government had cracked down on a protest carried out by Pakistanis and some Bangladeshis over the Indian government's decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir's special status.