Scholar, Writer Prof. Muzaffar Assadi passes away at 63
Bengaluru: Senior scholar, thinker, and writer, Prof. Muzaffar Hussain Assadi, who served as the Acting Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the Political Science Department at Mysore University, passed away late Friday night at a private hospital in Bengaluru. He was 63 years old.
Prof. Muzaffar Assadi conducted extensive studies on the lives and lifestyles of tribal communities. He served as the chairperson of a committee appointed to address the displacement of tribal populations. His research and contributions spanned areas such as agricultural studies, globalization, Gandhian philosophy, political sociology, democratic theories, social movements, comparative governance, Indian politics, human rights, and global political theories, earning him significant recognition.
Hailing from Shirva in Udupi district, Dr. Muzaffar Assadi completed his postgraduate degree from Mangalore University, followed by an M.Phil. and Ph.D. from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. He later pursued a Rockefeller Fellowship and Post-Doctoral studies at the University of Chicago. He authored 11 books during his illustrious career. As the chairperson of the High Court Committee on Tribal Displacement, he submitted an impactful report. His notable works include Multifaceted Feminist Narratives and Movements in Karnataka, Asmita, among others.
Previously, he served as the Special Officer of the newly established Raichur University. Prof. Assadi received numerous honors, including the Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award.
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Iran-US talks in Islamabad held via indirect, direct channels: sources
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Islamabad (PTI): The Iran-US peace talks were conducted first indirectly through Pakistan and later through direct negotiations between the two sides, official sources said on Sunday.
Pakistan remained involved at every stage of the process, with the talks beginning with separate meetings of the US and Iranian delegations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday.
This was followed by an exchange of messages between the two sides through Pakistani interlocutors, the sources said.
The Iranian delegation was led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqir Galibaf, while the US team was headed by Vice President JD Vance.
According to sources, the negotiations then moved to direct talks between the visiting delegations, which continued for about two-and-a-half hours in the presence of Pakistani officials.
In the next phase, a one-hour break was taken and technical aspects of the demands presented by the two sides were discussed at the expert level. The exchange of messages on technical aspects continued until late at night.
However, by Sunday morning, it became clear that the differences could not be bridged, leading US Vice President JD Vance to announce at a brief press conference that the talks ended without a deal.
The sources said Pakistan remains hopeful of further rounds of talks, though no date or venue has been finalised so far.
The Pakistani government had earlier said it would continue to play its role as a mediator and expressed hope that the talks would prove to be a step towards resolving the dispute.
The Iranian delegation had arrived in Islamabad on Friday night, while the US team arrived on Saturday morning.
The US side also included President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, while Iran was also represented by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and other senior leaders.
The two sides travelled to Islamabad, days after Iran and the US announced a two-week ceasefire on April 8. It was the first direct, high-level engagement between Iran and the US since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The failure to arrive at an agreement following the face-to-face negotiations between the two sides raised doubts over the effectiveness of their fragile two-week ceasefire as well as the prospect of reopening the Strait of Hormuz to stabilise the global energy market.
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