‘Missing’ Indian clerics return safely to Karachi

KARACHI, Pakistan – A family member says the two prominent Indian Muslim clerics who were reported missing during a visit to Pakistan earlier this month have returned safely, saying they were travelling in a remote area with no cellular service.

Waziruddin Nizami said Sunday that his uncle Asif Ali Nizami, the custodian of a famed Sufi shrine in New Delhi, and another cleric returned to Karachi after visiting followers in rural areas of Sindh province.

Nizami said he had filing a missing person report with police after family members lost contact with the pair. The clerics, who came to Pakistan in early March, will return to India Monday.

The case briefly gained widespread attention, with India’s external affairs minister saying on Twitter last week that she was looking into the matter.