Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma questioned Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi's visit to Rawalpindi, Pakistan, alleging his visa did not permit travel there. Gogoi defended visiting the tourist site Taxila as a 'proud Indian'.
Sarma Questions Gogoi's Pakistan Visit, Alleges Visa Violation
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday questioned Congress State President Gaurav Gogoi's visit to Rawalpindi in Pakistan, claiming that his visa permitted travel only to Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad.
Hitting back after Gaurav Gogoi's press conference today, the Chief Minister, adding to his "Pakistani agent" allegations, asked who facilitated his movement to Takshashila despite the alleged absence of visa clearance for Rawalpindi. However, Gogoi said that Takshashila (Taxila) is a tourist site, and he visited it as a "proud Indian."
'Who Facilitated Visit to Rawalpindi?': CM Sarma
In an X post, Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote, "In today's press conference, Gaurav Gogoi made a disclosure that even I was not previously aware of. Takshashila (Taxila) is not located in Islamabad, but in Rawalpindi District, Punjab. This single fact raises a serious and unavoidable question. 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 squarely within Rawalpindi District? Under Pakistan's immigration rules, travel beyond visa-designated cities is not permitted without specific authorisation."
"So the question is simple, factual, and legitimate: Who facilitated his movement to Takshashila despite the apparent absence of visa clearance for Rawalpindi District? This question gains further significance given that Pakistan Army's General Headquarters (GHQ), the nerve centre of the Pakistani military, is also located in Rawalpindi," the post read. In a separate post, CM Sarma demanded a "transparent" explanation from the Congress leader. "It is now almost evident that access to Rawalpindi (army headquarters) could not have occurred through routine civilian travel permissions. The circumstances strongly suggest that the visit was facilitated through institutional arrangements that do not require standard civilian visa endorsements. This inference flows directly from: The absence of Rawalpindi on the visa, the strict city-specific travel rules under Pakistan's visa regime, and the fact that Rawalpindi is a restricted, high-security district. These facts warrant a clear and transparent explanation," he wrote on X.
Gogoi Hits Back, Calls Allegations a Distraction
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said, "It is a place for tourism, and as an Indian, I felt proud when I saw Taxila and saw how ancient Mohenjo-Daro civilisation is. Taxila is where Chanakya was. The mighty Indian empires were also there. Therefore, as a proud Indian, I went to Taxila. I did not go and write praises of Muhammad Ali Jinnah like some BJP leaders. The next course of action is to continue taking the CM's corruption to the people of Assam. He is trying to distract the attention of the people of Assam. We will fight for our borders to be 100 per cent fenced. Close to 4000 acres of land, of which CM and his family members are owners, we will take that land and distribute it among those needy."
Gogoi Slams Sarma for Disclosing Children's Details
After Chief Minister Sarma released findings from a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe alleging that Gaurav Gogoi, his British wife, Elizabeth Colburn Gogoi, and a Pakistani national, Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, share "deep links", the Congress leader asked the Supreme Court to take suo-motu cognisance against the CM for disclosing his children's details to the media.
Addressing a press conference in Guwahati today, Gaurav Gogoi slammed CM Sarma for disclosing information about his children, calling him unfit for the Chief Ministerial position. The Congress MP said, "He went to such a low level that he even disclosed information relating to my children. We also know about his children; everyone knows it, but we don't want to disclose it. He has proved that he is not the right person to be in the Chief Minister's chair. What they are saying has shamed Assam. Why are they spreading false information? The Supreme Court should take a suo-motu case against it."
Refuting the allegations levelled against him, Gaurav Gogoi said that the SIT could not produce any evidence. He said, "Yesterday, in the 2.5-hour-long press conference, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma could not produce any evidence which could prove that I am an agent of another country. He kept beating around the bush. He had the SIT report for the last 6 months. Last year, he said he would release the SIT report to the public on September 10. If this concerns national security, our only question is: why was the CM silent on this report for the past 6 months? It is because the SIT constituted by him was unsuccessful in presenting any evidence."(ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
