Person who hosted missing Indian clerics in Pakistan ‘under pressure’ not to speak: Sushma Swaraj
Pakistan has said they have no idea where the two men are.
Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj on Friday said that the Pakistani host of two Indian clerics who have gone missing seems to be “under pressure” not to speak to the Indian High Commission. She said she has been in touch with Pakistan regarding the two men, who had most likely gone missing in Karachi since they landed there on March 8. There are, however, conflicting reports on when exactly they went missing.
However, the Pakistan Foreign Office on Friday said that it had no information regarding Syed Asif Ali Nizami, the head priest of Delhi’s Hazrat Nizammuddin Aulia Dargah, and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami. Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria told PTI that they have been “proactively pursuing” the case, but had no new leads yet. Zakaria said, “We have asked all departments concerned to look into the matter”.
Pakistan’s statement has irked the family of the two men. “How can they say that they have no clue about two foreign nationals missing in their country? This statement is so irresponsible. It is their responsibility to locate them promptly,” said Amir Ali Nizami, son of Asif Ali Nizami, according to DNA.
Sushma Swaraj also said there has been no official confirmation regarding their whereabouts. Sources told Hindustan Times that the two clerics have been picked up by Pakistan intelligence agencies.
According to reports, the 80-year-old and his nephew visited Lahore’s Daata Darbar shrine and were supposed to fly back to India from Karachi on Wednesday. They had visited their relatives in Karachi before heading to Lahore.