'Deeply rooted': Himanta questions ‘extent’ of relations between Gaurav Gogoi, his wife and Pakistani advisor

The Assam CM shared another post by Sheikh from 2020 where the Pakistan national lauds Gogoi and others for raising the Delhi riots issue in the Parliament.

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma continued to question Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi’s British wife Elizabeth Colburn’s links with Pakistan, alleging on Saturday that the "network is now emerging as far more significant and deeply entrenched than initially thought".

He shared screenshots of old posts on X by Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, an advisor of the Pakistan Planning Commission and a former colleague of Colburn, and claimed that the relationship between the Gogois and the Pakistani national appeared to be ‘deeply rooted’.

Sarma had also targeted the Jorhat MP over the issue, demanding answers from Gogoi over the allegations of ISI links, "leading young individuals to the Pakistan embassy for brainwashing and radicalisation, and the refusal to take Indian citizenship for the past 12 years", referring to Colburn’s nationality status.

He had also alleged that Gogoi had raised questions in Parliament on sensitive defence matters after his marriage to the British citizen, a charge termed by the opposition leader as a "false accusation".

In his latest charges, Sarma shared a screenshot of a post on X by Sheikh in 2019 in which he commented on the problem of illegal migrants from Bangladesh to India.

“Elizabeth Colburn w/o Hon’ble MP worked under Ali Tauqeer Sheikh in the organisation LEAD Pakistan, which operated under the guise of climate change initiatives,” Sarma wrote, sharing the screenshot.

He claimed that a "closer examination" of Sheikh’s works and articles reveals a deeper and more strategic involvement, particularly in Assam.

“The extent of this network is now emerging as far more significant and deeply entrenched than initially thought,” Sarma maintained, as he tagged the Union Home Ministry in his post.

The CM shared another post by Sheikh from 2020 where the Pakistan national lauds Gogoi and others for raising the Delhi riots issue in the Parliament.

Sarma said, “Pakistan National Ali Sheikh of Lead Pakistan who is Elizabeth Colburn’s colleague and supervisor shared his anti-India propaganda and also tagged and cheered Hon’ble MP when he raised the Delhi Riots 2020 issue in Parliament. Yes, The relationships appear to be deeply rooted.” The BJP had on Wednesday accused Gogoi's wife of having links with Pakistan and the ISI, a charge rejected by the deputy leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha as "laughable and entertaining".