Pakistan confirms request about two 'missing' Indian clerics

The Pakistan Foreign Office on Friday confirmed that a request had been received from India seeking assistance in tracing two clerics who went missing after visiting Lahore's Data Darbar.

Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said the request had been received and forwarded to the Interior Ministry, who are pursuing the matter.

Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that she has spoken to the Pakistani authorities about the two clerics.

"Indian nationals Syed Asif Ali Nizami, 80, and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami went to Pakistan on March 8," she tweeted.

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

Head cleric Asif Nizami and Nazim Nizami went missing in Pakistan, during their visit to Lahore's Data Darbar. The clerics have been missing since Wednesday.

According to the family of the clerics, the duo was set to fly to Karachi on Wednesday, and while Asif was allowed to board, Nazim was stopped at Lahore airport on grounds of incomplete documents.

Exchanges between clerics of Nizamuddin Dargah in Delhi, and the Data Darbar are part of a regular tradition.

--IANS

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