The two missing clerics of Delhi’s Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah have been traced in Sindh district of Pakistan, according to reports late on Saturday. The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan had intimated the Indian High Commission that the clerics had been found and were on their way to relatives in Karachi.
However, what was the reason of their mysterious disappearance and in what circumstances they were found are not yet clear.
According to sources, the clerics—82-year-old Asif Ali Nizami, head priest of the dargah, and his 66-year-old nephew Nizal Ali Nizami—are expected to fly back to New Delhi on Monday, after which a clearer picture may emerge.
The news of their appearance began to trickle in even as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted that she had contacted Sartaj Aziz, Pakistan prime minister's adviser on foreign affairs for help in tracing the clerics
They had gone to Pakistan to meet their relatives and visit the shrine of Gharib Nawaz in Lahore.
Their disappearance led to much speculation and Swaraj herself indicated they might have been picked up by the ISI. Later reports suggested they were being questioned for alleged links with MQM.
Did the media pressure force the captors to release the namazis? Or was it simply that the duo were in a place with poor mobile connectivity? The mystery continues.
