Senior journalist Askari Zaidi new executive director of top non-profit research institute

By A Representative

Senior journalist Askari H Zaidi has taken over as executive director of the Centre for Studies of Plural Societies (CSPS), a non-profit social science research organization based in New Delhi.

A Delhi-based journalist, who has spent more than 25 years in senior editorial positions at India’s top media houses, including The Times of India, Hindustan Times, and Indian Express, Zaidi is known for his incisive reporting on a wide range of issues, including the insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir, political events and issues, the Kargil war, and environmental matters.

Zaidi has covered several overseas assignments in the US, Europe, Southeast Asia, and West Asia, including the 1996 US presidential elections. He has delivered invited lectures at the Singapore National University, AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, and other national and international institutions, and has worked as Media Advisor and Group Head, Corporate Communications at the Reliance Group.

Claiming to provide skill development and mentorship to students and research scholars in the humanities and social sciences, with primary focus on issues aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), environment, gender equality, and pluralism, a CSPS note said, "With his extensive experience, Askari Zaidi will play a key role in implementing CSPS programmes that are aimed at enabling a sustainable and just future."

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