After two Indian Sufi clerics, including Syed Asif Ali Nizami, the head priest of New Delhi’s Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, went missing in Pakistan since March 16 evening, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday said that she has taken up the matter with Islamabad.
Swaraj said that she has requested Pakistan to update New Delhi on both Indian nationals.
“Have taken up this matter with Government of Pakistan and requested them for an update on both the Indian nationals,” tweeted Swaraj.
Two clerics, Asif Nizami and Nazim Nizami, had initially visited Karachi to meet their relatives after which they headed to Lahore to visit shrines. As per reports, one is missing from Karachi and the other from Lahore.
Indian nationals Syed Asif li Nizami aged 80 years and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami had gone to Pakistan on 8 March 2017. /1
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 17, 2017
Officials said that India had strongly raised the matter of disappearance of the two senior clerics for the past two days.
Syed Asif Ali Nizami is Head Priest (Sajjadanashin) of Hazrat Nizammuddin Aulia dargah. /2
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 17, 2017
The two priests were last seen together at Data Darbar Sufi shrine in Lahore and have been missing since 15 March. According to reports, their families have revealed that while Asif was allowed to go to Karachi, Nazim was stopped at the Lahore airport on grounds of incomplete travel papers. While Nazim went missing from Lahore airport, Asif went missing after arriving at the Karachi airport.
Both are missing after they landed at Karachi airport. /3
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 17, 2017
We have taken up this matter with Government of Pakistan and requested them for an update on both the Indian nationals in Pakistan./4
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 17, 2017
