Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday accused Congress MP and state unit president Gaurav Gogoi of undertaking a “secret visit” to Pakistan in 2013 without informing authorities.
Sarma made the claim at a packed media conference in Guwahati while sharing key outcomes of the government-constituted special investigation team (SIT) probing alleged links of the Congress MP and his wife Elizabeth Gogoi with Pakistan through Pakistan national Ali Tauqeer Sheikh.
Sarma also accused Gogoi’s wife of working in India while receiving a salary from Pakistan and “submitting periodic reports on political developments in India”. Elizabeth visited Pakistan nine times from India. Gogoi visited Pakistan before becoming an MP in 2014 and has not been questioned by the SIT so far.
Sarma announced that the case would be handed over to the ministry of home affairs (MHA) for further investigation.
Addressing the news meet and posting on X, Sarma said Gogoi visited Pakistan “when his spouse was working in India but he blatantly lied to local media channels that his wife worked in Pakistan when he visited the country”.
Using the hashtag #PakAgentGaurav, Sarma said the onus was on Gogoi to “come clean” on what he did in Pakistan based on “the irrefutable evidence we have presented today”.
Describing Gogoi as the “most vulnerable politician” in the country, Sarma suggested the “enemy country” might have recorded details of the ten-day visit to use as future leverage.
The SIT registered a case against Sheikh on February 17, 2025, to ascertain if his activities were “part of a larger conspiracy” against India.
The SIT report, submitted in September, stated Sheikh visited India multiple times between 2010 and 2018. The case involves Sheikh’s non-profit, LEAD Pakistan, where Gogoi’s wife, Elizabeth, was reportedly an “integral part” during her time in Islamabad.
Excerpts from the probe stated Gogoi visited Pakistan “between 14.12.2013 and 24.12.2013 using the land border crossing via Attari”. The report noted that Gogoi, son of the then-sitting chief minister, provided “no prior notice” to the CMO or the ministry of external affairs, maintaining “digital silence” during the trip. The investigation also flagged a deviation from the 2012 India-Pakistan Visa Regime regarding how his visa was reportedly changed on December 16, 2013.
Furthermore, the report questioned Gogoi’s subsequent parliamentary inquiries regarding military preparedness and the Kashmir conflict.
On X, Sarma alleged a “global nexus to destabilise India”, claiming Sheikh tried to embed Elizabeth Coleburn to “derail (India’s development) through environmental activism”. He alleged the setup involved “shady employment contracts” and the transmission of sensitive information.
Following the news meet, BJP workers staged protests across Assam, labelling Gogoi a “Pakistan agent”.
Gogoi’s response
Gogoi, scheduled to address the media on Monday, appeared unfazed. Posting on X, he called the event the “flop press conference of the century,” adding it was “worse than a C-grade cinema”.
Gogoi claimed Sarma had “embarrassed himself” and challenged the chief minister to explain how his family acquired “12,000 bighas” of property. “When we come to power, we will take those lands and distribute amongst the poor,” Gogoi wrote, using the hashtag #XomoyParivartan.
