Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday (February 8, 2026) questioned Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi’s “suspicious” 10-day go to to Pakistan in December 2013 and his British spouse Elizabeth Colburn Gogoi’s skilled stint with a local weather organisation within the neighbouring nation.
The assault on Mr. Gogoi, the State Congress president and the son of former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, comes forward of the elections to Assam’s 126-member Meeting anticipated by April. Mr. Sarma joined the Bharatiya Janata Occasion after falling out with the senior Gogoi in 2015.
Additionally Learn | Gaurav Gogoi’s ‘Pakistan hyperlinks’ being probed for sake of nationwide safety: Himanta
Addressing journalists in Guwahati, the Chief Minister requested Mr. Gogoi to reveal particulars of his go to to Pakistan months earlier than he was elected to the Lok Sabha, throughout which he “uncharacteristically” maintained “digital silence”. He requested the Congress chief to make public a letter allegedly issued by Pakistan’s Inside Ministry, resulting in the modification of the itinerary in his visa.
The Chief Minister mentioned Mr. Gogoi entered Pakistan via the Attari-Wagah border for his go to from December 14 to 24, 2013. “Pakistan shouldn’t be a vacationer vacation spot. Requested by the media in regards to the objective of his go to, he claimed that he had gone to satisfy his spouse, who had shifted to India 21 months earlier,” Mr. Sarma mentioned, including that the Particular Department of the Assam Police was not knowledgeable in regards to the go to, though Mr. Gogoi’s father was the Chief Minister of the State then.
Mr. Sarma mentioned that the Congress MP was granted a visa by the Pakistan Excessive Fee in India to go to Lahore, however on December 16, after he reached the town, the nation’s Inside Minister issued a letter to let him go to Islamabad and Karachi. Assam’s Particular Investigation Staff (SIT), probing the MP’s alleged Pakistan hyperlinks, learnt in regards to the modification in his journey itinerary by confiscating his passport with out interrogating him, the Chief Minister mentioned.
“I need him to make public the letter. We need to know its content material. We need to know who he met in Lahore and why Pakistan rolled out the crimson carpet for him,” he mentioned.
“From Lahore, he was taken to Islamabad and Karachi. We suspect he might have undergone some type of coaching throughout these ten days,” he added.
Mr. Sarma mentioned some form of indoctrination was evident from the questions Mr. Gogoi raised in Parliament after turning into an MP in 2014. These questions associated to nationwide safety, together with uranium reserves, border safety, patrolling alongside the LAC, Chinese language infrastructure, defence procurements, air squadrons, submarines, local weather change, and nationwide water mission methods.
The Chief Minister additionally questioned Mr. Gogoi’s resolution, after turning into an MP, to take a youth delegation to the Pakistan Excessive Fee in Delhi. “Have you ever ever heard of some other Indian MP doing this? Who facilitated his visits to Islamabad and Karachi? If he doesn’t reply, each query he raised in Parliament will likely be considered with suspicion,” he mentioned.
‘Nationwide risk’
Escalating his assault, Mr. Sarma described Mr. Gogoi as a “nationwide risk” and alleged he might be susceptible to blackmail. “Pakistan has recordings of his conferences. Had he not been compromised, would he have raised such delicate points in Parliament,” he requested.
Mr. Sarma mentioned Ms. Gogoi started her profession working with U.S. Senator Tom Udall, whom he linked to American investor George Soros. The Chief Minister famous that Mr. Udall had supported the resumption of U.S. support to Pakistan after it was suspended following the killing of Osama bin Laden.
Ms. Gogoi joined LEAD Pakistan, a local weather organisation related to the U.Okay.-based Local weather and Improvement Information Community, as a advisor on March 18, 2011. Mr. Sarma claimed that in the course of the questioning by the SIT, she admitted to having a Pakistani checking account however refused to say whether or not it was nonetheless energetic. “We suspect the account continues to be operational,” he mentioned.
He additional alleged {that a} month after becoming a member of LEAD Pakistan, Ms. Gogoi was provided a place at LEAD India by its head, Bhawana Luthra, with a yr’s flexibility to take up the function. In keeping with Mr. Sarma, Ms. Luthra and Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, the top of LEAD Pakistan and adviser to Pakistan’s Planning Fee, made an settlement to let Ms. Gogoi work in India however report back to Mr. Sheikh.
“An Indian MP’s spouse was successfully managed by Pakistan,” the Chief Minister alleged, including that Mr. Sheikh, who had hyperlinks to Pakistan’s armed forces, deleted his India-related posts on X after the investigation started. These posts had been meant to generate international opinions towards India and the federal government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he mentioned.
Mr. Sarma mentioned LEAD India was introduced below LEAD Pakistan to make sure that Ms. Gogoi continued receiving her wage from Pakistan. He alleged she was paid ₹2.5 lakh per thirty days, whereas her superior earned ₹50,000, and that ₹82.41 lakh out of ₹91.27 lakh transferred from LEAD Pakistan to LEAD India went to Ms. Gogoi.
The Chief Minister mentioned the Pakistan-related actions of Mr. Gogoi and his spouse wouldn’t have been doable with out the involvement of influential individuals within the Indian institution in the course of the UPA rule. “The circulate of funds was facilitated, bypassing the International Contribution (Regulation) Act pointers. It’s not straightforward to acquire FCRA clearance, particularly for funds from Pakistan,” he mentioned.
Confidential studies
In keeping with him, Ms. Gogoi travelled from Pakistan to India 3 times, accompanied by Mr. Sheikh. After relocating to India, she visited Pakistan 9 instances – six throughout her tenure with LEAD India and three after becoming a member of Oxford Coverage Administration. All visits had been allegedly sponsored by Pakistan and performed through the Attari border.
Mr. Sarma claimed that in her time in India, Ms. Gogoi despatched confidential policy-related studies to Pakistan, together with materials purportedly quoting delicate Intelligence Bureau paperwork. He additional alleged that after the BJP got here to energy in 2014, she instructed working with sub-national businesses slightly than the Indian authorities on local weather points.
Citing the seriousness of the allegations, the Chief Minister mentioned the Assam Cupboard selected Saturday (February 7, 2026) at hand the case over to the Ministry of Residence Affairs and search a national-level investigation. He added that whereas the SIT had not interrogated Mr. Gogoi out of respect for his place, it will achieve this if directed by the Centre.
“After learning the SIT report, we realised that the ball shouldn’t be within the Centre’s courtroom,” he mentioned.
The Chief Minister mentioned that the SIT report was submitted in September 2025, however was not made public on the time as Assam was mourning the dying of music icon Zubeen Garg.
“We’ll request the Centre to cancel Elizabeth’s OCI visa as it’s towards nationwide curiosity. I’m giving Gaurav Gogoi ten days to clarify his Pakistan go to, failing which will probably be considered as anti-India,” Mr. Sarma mentioned.
Mr. Gogoi mentioned the Chief Minister embarrassed himself earlier than the media and claimed that the journalists remained unconvinced after the prolonged press convention. He dismissed the allegations and as a substitute requested how Mr. Sarma’s household acquired huge tracts of land throughout Assam, promising redistribution if Congress got here to energy.
