Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday claimed that Elizabeth Gogoi, the wife of Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, had transmitted a confidential report to the Pakistani individual Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, whose anti-India activities are under the lens, raising what he described as serious national security concerns.
CM Sarma said the allegations have emerged from findings highlighted by a Special Investigation Team (SIT).
According to the Chief Minister, the SIT has pointed to a document dated August 5, 2014, which allegedly records the transmission of a 50-page report marked “confidential” by Elizabeth Gogoi to Ali Tauqeer Sheikh in Pakistan.
CM Sarma claimed that since the report was sent to a “country of concern”, its status amounted to a classified intelligence communication and a field intelligence report.
The Chief Minister further claimed that the contents of the report included references to Intelligence Bureau communications, strategic recommendations for “low risk, low visibility” operations in India, and suggestions to bypass Central government oversight through sub-national engagement.
He asserted that, prima facie, the act appeared to attract provisions of Section 2 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923.
CM Sarma said the state government has taken the matter seriously and will pursue all legal options based on the SIT’s findings.
He told reporters here, “Elizabeth Gogoi was an integral part of LEAD Pakistan — a climate-change non-profit founded by Pakistani national Ali Tauqeer Sheikh — during her stint in Islamabad. She reportedly worked on international climate projects that were linked to both India and Pakistan, including shared involvement in the global Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN).”
The SIT probe revealed that Elizabeth Gogoi maintained a “shadow” employment setup: a Pakistani NGO employed her in Islamabad and later transferred her work to India.
CM Sarma said that a Pakistan-based firm hired Elizabeth Gogoi and then “later transferred her to India”, with her salary allegedly paid by Sheikh.
“These payments from abroad, as per the SIT findings, were routed through Indian bank accounts in potential violation of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA).
In effect, the SIT says, a unit called “LEAD India” was set up in New Delhi as a conduit for foreign funds, bypassing FCRA limits,” CM Sarma said.
The Chief Minister also accused Elizabeth Gogoi of transmitting sensitive government information to her Pakistani associate.
The SIT findings reportedly found that she handed over an internal confidential Assam government report (containing material deemed classified) to Sheikh during her Pakistan tenure. If true, this transfer of official documents could breach India’s Official Secrets Act.
The Assam government has cited the confidentiality of this allegation and has not released the full SIT text.
Addressing reporters here, CM Sarma has questioned why Elizabeth Gogoi continued to act as a foreign national while participating in Indian elections, and whether she should have disclosed her Pakistan ties to authorities. The Chief Minister asserted that these findings are a matter of “national security” and not politics.
(IANS)
