Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday made public information alleging links between Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi and Pakistan (Gaurav Gogoi Pakistan Link). As per the previously announced schedule, the Chief Minister released the investigation report prepared by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) regarding the alleged Pakistan connection of Gaurav Gogoi through a press conference.
Addressing the media, Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “Gaurav Gogoi’s wife, Elizabeth Colburn Gogoi, was employed with an NGO called ‘LEAD Pakistan’ from March 18, 2011 to March 17, 2012. During that period, the Chief Executive Officer of LEAD Pakistan was Ali Tauqeer Sheikh. In addition, he was also the Asian Head of CDKN (Climate and Development Knowledge Network). During Elizabeth Colburn Gogoi’s stay in Pakistan, the Gogoi family developed close ties with Ali Tauqeer Sheikh. In fact, out of the 13 times Ali Tauqeer Sheikh visited India, Elizabeth Colburn Gogoi accompanied him on three occasions. The SIT investigation has revealed that Ali Tauqeer Sheikh is a highly influential individual in Pakistan. He was an advisor to Pakistan’s Planning Commission and has deep links with Pakistan’s military establishment.”
According to the SIT report released by the Chief Minister, after the Narendra Modi-led government came to power in India, Elizabeth Colburn Gogoi sent a report to Ali Tauqeer Sheikh stating that it would no longer be possible to work in the same manner as before under the Modi government and that a new strategy would be required. The proposed strategy was described as “Low Risk, Low Visibility,” which involved bypassing the Central Government and working directly with sub-national authorities such as state governments and municipalities.
Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma further stated, “The entire episode began when I was busy attending an investment summit in Singapore. A photograph surfaced on social media showing that on September 14, 2015, newly elected MP Gaurav Gogoi took a group of young people to the Pakistan High Commission. Initially, I thought the photograph was photoshopped and fake. However, when Congress supporters began defending it two or three days later, I began to suspect that this was not an isolated incident, and an inquiry was initiated.”
The Chief Minister also mentioned that the youth delegation had met the then Pakistani High Commissioner Abdul Basit. Criticising the move, Dr. Sarma said, “Many Congress leaders criticise the BJP, but I do not recall any other leader openly taking a youth delegation to the Pakistan High Commission in this manner.”
Referring to the sacrifice of Assamese soldiers like Captain Jintu Gogoi in the Kargil War, the Chief Minister described Pakistan as a permanent hostile nation and said, “How justified is it to secretly maintain relations with such an enemy nation? Maintaining such connections with a hostile country is a matter of serious concern.”
Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma further stated that in December 2013, Gaurav Gogoi had obtained a visa to travel to Lahore, Pakistan, and visited the country within three days of receiving the visa. He said, “After travelling to Pakistan on a visa restricted to a specific location—Lahore—the Pakistan Interior Ministry granted Gaurav Gogoi permission to visit Karachi and Islamabad. Such inclusion of additional locations in a visa after arrival in Pakistan is not possible without good relations with the Pakistan Interior Ministry.”
As the matter is linked to national security, the Chief Minister said that the SIT report would be handed over to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) so that the investigation could be carried out by a central investigating agency such as the NIA or the CBI.
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