2 CLERICS TO RETURN FROM PAK TODAY

Two Indian clerics who went missing in Pakistan are safe and will be back in the city on Monday, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said on Sunday.

The two clerics — Syed Asif Nizami and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami — had gone to Lahore on March 8.

Two Indian clerics who went missing in Pakistan are safe and will be back in the city on Monday, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said on Sunday.

“I just spoke to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami in Karachi. He told me that they are safe and will be back in Delhi on Monday,” she said in a tweet.

The two clerics — Syed Asif Nizami, the head priest (Sajjadanashin) of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah, and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami, — had gone to Lahore on March 8 and were to return to India on March 20.

The purpose of Asif’s visit to Pakistan was to see his sister in Karachi, according to news agency reports. Earlier on Saturday, Pakistan had conveyed to India that the clerics were traced and reached Karachi.

Ms Swaraj had taken up the issue with Pakistan Prime Minister’s adviser on foreign affairs, Sartaj Aziz on Saturday and had requested him to trace the missing clerics.

According to Pakistani media reports, both clerics had been in “interior Sindh where there was no communication network” and that is why they could not inform their relatives about their whereabouts.

Earlier, Pakistani sources were quoted by news agencies as saying that the duo were in the custody of Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI over their alleged links with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.