Clerics return home, meet Sushma Swaraj

Ending days of speculation about their safety after they ‘disappeared’ in Pakistan, the two clerics, Syed Asif Nizami and Nazim Ali Nizami returned home ‘safe and sound’. 

They were given a rousing welcome at Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, the first stopover upon their arrival on Monday morning. Greeted by family members and well-wishers, the duo thanked the Sufi saint for his blessings and offered prayers at the dargah. The shrine was choc-a-bloc with devotees, with an additional crowd of media persons who had thronged the place to interact with the clerics. Soon after, the clerics addressed the media where they blamed the Pakistani media for their “ordeal”. 80-year-old Syed Asif, who is also the head priest of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah claimed that a story in Pakistan paper Ummat in which they were “painted” as spies led to the entire trouble. 

The clerics, along with the family, then left for a meeting with Sushma Swaraj, Minister of External Affairs. 

“They looked hail and hearty. We are very happy that the ordeal is over. We have not asked them too many questions,” said Syed Afsar Ali Nizami, one of the khadims at the dargah.