Nizamuddin clerics touring Pak missing, family seeks MEA's help

Following the suspicious disappearance of two Indian clerics of the Nizamudin shrine after they went to Pakistan, Union External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj in a series of tweets expressed her concern.

Swaraj tweeted: "We have taken up the matter with the government of Pakistan and requested them for an update."

"Indian High Commission in Pakistan has taken up the matter of missing Indians Syed Asif Ali Nizami and Nazim Ali Nizami at the highest level in the Government of Pakistan," Swaraj posted on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Sajid Nizami and Amir Nizami spent a busy day answering queries from media regarding the disappearance of their father Asif Ali Nizami and his nephew Nazim Nizami.

"My father is 80 years old and wanted to meet his elder sister Qamar Jahan, 90, in Karachi. We last heard from them on March 15, when they sent us photographs on WhatsApp after visiting Baba Farid shrine and Data Darbar shrine," said Amir Nizami, son of missing head priest Asif Ali Nizami.

This was not the first visit to Pakistan for either of the Delhi-based Sufi clerics. While Asif Nizami was visiting Pakistan after 30 years, Nazim Nizami had till now visited Pakistan on various occasions.

The duo went to Karachi on March 6 from Delhi and visited Lahore on March 13 to offer a "chadar" at Baba Farid's shrine and offered another "chadar" at the Data Darbar Sufi shrine the next day.

On March 15, when they reached Lahore airport to take a return flight for Karachi, Nazim Nizami was stopped to clear some documentation work, while Asif Ali Nizami was asked to board the flight to Karachi.

The elder Nizami reached Karachi airport and asked his relatives to pick him up.

However, he did not come out of the airport.

Since then, their mobile phones have been switched off and their family in India has not been able to get in touch with them.

On being asked if he fears his father has been picked up by Pakistan intelligence agencies, Sajid replied: "How can they go missing from the airports? They did not go missing outside. Any agencies who detained them should be in the knowledge of Pak government. It is their duty to inform us about their whereabouts."

The family told Millennium Post that they have had meetings with representatives of the Ministry of External Affairs. Home Minister Rajnath Singh also sent his representatives to Nizamuddin dargah to talk to the family of the missing priests. However, no head away has been reached in locating the missing clerics.