Missing Indian clerics row: Defence experts say it is against diplomatic protocol

Slamming Pakistan over the controversy surrounding missing of two Indian clerics, the defence experts on Saturday said it is Islamabad's responsibility to inform the Indian High Commission about their whereabouts, adding the incident was against the diplomatic protocol.

"There are two speculations, one is that ISI has taken them into custody on some suspicion of them being involved in anti Pakistan activity if that be so then it is incumbent on Pakistan to inform our high commission in Islamabad as to why they have been taken into custody. Second possibility that they could have been kidnapped by somebody if that is so then it is again incumbent on the Pakistani government to locate them," Lieutenant General (Retd.) Raj Kadyan told ANI.

Defence expert Major General (Retd.) P.K. Sehgal also cornered Pakistan, saying that clerics had gone there as pilgrims and to kidnap a guest clearly exposes Pakistan.

"I don't know as to what is the intention of Pakistan behind this but whatever it is doing is absolutely wrong. This kind of behavior of Pakistan is very weird," Sehgal told ANI.

Two Indian Sufi clerics Asif Nizami and Nazim Nizami, who were on a pilgrimage to Pakistan, have gone missing prompting India to take up the matter with Islamabad.

The clerics had gone to Karachi to meet their relatives after which they headed to Lahore to visit the shrines of Sufi saints.

Syed Asif Ali Nizami is the head priest of New Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah.

Earlier, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that she has taken up the matter with Islamabad.