'Who allowed...?': Himanta intensifies 'Pakistan agent' attack against Gaurav Gogoi
What's the story
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has questioned Congress State President Gaurav Gogoi's visit to Taxila in Pakistan, alleging that his visa only allowed travel to Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad. He asked who facilitated Gogoi's movement to Taxila, which is located in Rawalpindi District of Punjab. The CM highlighted that under Pakistan's immigration rules, travel beyond designated cities is not permitted without specific authorization.
Post
Rawalpindi houses Pakistan Army's General Headquarters (GHQ)
"If his Pakistan visa explicitly permitted travel only to Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad, how did he visit Takshashila, which lies outside the Islamabad Capital Territory and within Rawalpindi District?" Sarma asked. He emphasized that Rawalpindi also houses the Pakistan Army's General Headquarters (GHQ), calling the situation a national security concern and asking to know who facilitated Gogoi's movement.
Visa controversy
Likely facilitated through institutional arrangements, Sarma on Gogoi's visit
In a separate post, Sarma demanded a "transparent" explanation from Gogoi. He wrote on X, "It is now almost evident that access to Rawalpindi (army headquarters) could not have occurred through routine civilian travel permissions." The CM stressed that the visit was likely facilitated through institutional arrangements bypassing standard civilian visa endorsements.
Defense and accusations
In response, Gogoi slams Sarma calls him 'disgrace'
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi defended his visit to Taxila as a "proud Indian" tourist. He slammed Sarma for disclosing details about his children and called him unfit for the chief ministerial position. Gogoi alleged that Sarma was trying to distract from issues like corruption and border security. He also refuted allegations of being an agent for another country, saying no evidence was produced by the SIT report released by Sarma.
SIT
Gogoi's wife was working in Pakistan: CM
Sarma had released findings from the SIT probe alleging that Gogoi, his British wife, Elizabeth Colburn Gogoi, and a Pakistani national, Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, share "deep links. "We searched and found that Gaurav Gogoi's wife, Elizabeth Colburn Gogoi, was working in Pakistan from March 18, 2011, to March 17, 2012. Then we searched further on different open source and social media. We found that the family is very closely connected with a person called Ali Tauqeer Sheikh," he said.
Evidence dispute
Why was CM silent on report for past 6 months?
Gogoi questioned why Sarma was silent on the SIT report for six months if national security was at stake. He said, "If this concerns national security, our only question is: why was the CM silent on this report for the past six months?" The Congress leader suggested that the Supreme Court should take suo-motu cognizance against Sarma for disclosing his children's details to the media.