Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma made a startling claim on Sunday, alleging that state Congress president and MP, Gaurav Gogoi, received training from Pakistani authorities during a 2013 visit to the neighboring country, a year before he became a Lok Sabha member.
Sarma further intensified his accusations, branding both Gogoi and his British wife, Elizabeth Colburn Gogoi, as “national threats.” He claimed they have “deeper connections” with Pakistan, citing Elizabeth’s prior employment with a climate action group in Pakistan before her relocation to India. The Chief Minister has formally requested the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to launch a thorough investigation into their activities.
These revelations follow previous allegations by the CM regarding the Gogois’ alleged Pakistan links a year ago. The Special Investigative Team (SIT) formed to probe the matter submitted its report six months prior, and these details are now being made public weeks ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in the state, expected in March-April.
During a press conference in Guwahati, Sarma expressed sorrow over linking an elected Assam MP’s name with Pakistan, yet stressed his obligation as CM to inform the nation. His interest in the matter, he explained, was sparked last year after a photograph circulated on social media showing Gogoi escorting several youths to the Pakistan embassy in New Delhi in 2015.
Sarma stated that a “preliminary probe” uncovered that Gogoi’s wife was based in Pakistan from March 2011 to March 2012, working closely with Ali Tauqueer Sheikh, CEO of the climate action think-tank “Lead Pakistan.”
Lead Pakistan, a part of the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) funded by the Netherlands and Canada, focuses on climate change impact in the Global South. It has an Indian counterpart, also named Lead India. Sheikh serves as the Asia Director for CDKN.
According to Sarma, Sheikh allegedly used this platform to disseminate anti-India sentiments and discuss contentious issues, including the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, which New Delhi suspended last year. Sarma further claimed that Sheikh deleted these anti-India social media posts once the Assam Police began investigating his connections to the Gogois.
The Chief Minister noted that despite Elizabeth relocating to India to join Lead India, her salary and benefits continued to originate from Lead Pakistan. “Her appointment letter indicated that her work would be managed and directed by Lead Pakistan and CDKN’s Asia Director Sheikh. This unique employment arrangement, uncovered during the investigation, suggests she was effectively a shadow employee of Lead Pakistan even while supposedly attached to Lead India,” Sarma elaborated.
He further alleged that during her tenure in India, Elizabeth engaged with civil society and policymakers, and reportedly transmitted “confidential matters,” including an Intelligence Bureau (IB) report, to Pakistan. Her report to Lead Pakistan reportedly advised bypassing the central government to collaborate directly with sub-national agencies.
Sarma revealed that Elizabeth made six trips to Islamabad while working with Lead India, and three more after leaving to join another Delhi-based organization. Intriguingly, her entries into Pakistan were via the Attari land border, not by air. When questioned, Lead India’s executive director, Bhavna Luthra, stated she was unaware of the reasons behind Elizabeth’s frequent Pakistan trips, the CM added.
Regarding Gaurav Gogoi, Sarma stated that the MP visited Pakistan for ten days in December 2013, also via the Attari border, when he was not yet an MP and was residing with his father, then Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. “Although his visa, issued by the Pakistan embassy in New Delhi, was initially valid only for Lahore, his status was surprisingly altered by Pakistan’s interior ministry upon arrival, permitting him to travel to Karachi and Islamabad,” Sarma revealed.
Sarma countered Gogoi’s claim in Assamese media that his 2013 Pakistan visit was due to his wife’s employment there, pointing out that Elizabeth was already stationed with Lead India at that time. “We pressed Elizabeth during the investigation to disclose whom Gogoi met in Pakistan, but she refused. We suspect he might have undergone some form of training there,” Sarma commented.
After becoming a Lok Sabha MP in 2014, Sarma alleged that Gogoi posed several sensitive parliamentary questions concerning military readiness, nuclear installations, and uranium reserves. He also questioned why an Indian MP would escort youths to the Pakistan embassy in New Delhi after his visit.
Furthermore, Sarma disclosed that Gogoi’s two children hold British citizenship, not Indian passports, like their mother. He added that the son’s Indian citizenship, acquired at birth, was surrendered by Gogoi in May 2022, after which he assumed British citizenship.
“Based on these revelations from the Assam Police SIT probe, the Assam cabinet decided on Saturday to request the MHA to investigate these alleged links of Gogoi and his wife. The onus is now on Gogoi to clarify his visit and activities in Pakistan during those ten days,” Sarma asserted. He clarified that while Gogoi’s wife cooperated on most points during SIT questioning, the MP himself was not interrogated, emphasizing the need for the MHA to do so. The CM also explained that the SIT report, available since September 10 last year, was not publicized earlier due to widespread mourning in Assam following the passing of cultural icon Zubeen Garg on September 19.
GOGOI’S REACTION
In response to the Chief Minister’s claims, Gaurav Gogoi took to X (formerly Twitter), declaring, “I pity the journalists from Delhi and Assam who had to suffer the most flop press conference of the century. This was worse than a C grade cinema. Most mindless and bogus points offered by the so called political shrewd Chief Minister.”
He further countered, “This super flop is in contrast to our Xomoy Parivartan Yatra (March for Changing Times) which has been a hit in uncovering the 12,000 bighas of land occupied by the Chief Minister and his family members.”