The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged Pakistan links of Gaurav Gogoi and his wife Elizabeth Gogoi, identified Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, a Pakistani national and advisor to Pakistan's Planning Commission, as the central handler in the case.
Sheikh is a close associate of Elizabeth Gogoi and the founder of LEAD Pakistan, the same NGO where the Congress MP's wife worked.
According to the SIT filings, Sheikh's social media postings include exhaustive commentary on India's internal affairs and parliamentary matters.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday asserted that Sheikh's online activity "raises serious concerns" about his intent to undermine India's interests, as he repeatedly weighed in on domestic political and security issues.
The SIT findings stated that Sheikh has cultivated networks of Indian contacts through climate-change forums and think-tank groups.
According to the SIT probe, Sheikh and Elizabeth Gogoi participated in the CDKN climate network that straddles India and Pakistan. Assam officials allege Sheikh used these connections to groom like-minded activists and influence policy discussions in India.
An official release cited by the SIT warned that Ali Sheikh's "anti-India agenda" was being aided by sympathisers within Assam and across India. CM Sarma said that while not a government official, Sheikh's dealings were portrayed as a new kind of subterfuge.
The Chief Minister remarked that the SIT had uncovered "startling facts" pointing to a conspiracy that transcends traditional espionage.
The case, he implied, illustrates a "new model of hostile activity" -- one that leverages transnational policy networks and NGOs rather than conventional spycraft.
CM Sarma told reporters that the probe request was being sent to the Union Home Ministry as it now involves national security well beyond Assam.
The CM further stated that allegations involving Pakistani national Ali Tauqeer Sheikh and Elizabeth Gogoi, the wife of Congress MP and Deputy Leader of the Congress in Parliament Gaurav Gogoi, were extremely serious and could not be treated as an ordinary matter.
The Chief Minister asserted that the involvement of a sitting Member of Parliament elevated the issue beyond the purview of a routine investigation. "These are grave allegations. When a sitting MP, who is also the Deputy Leader of the Congress party in Parliament, is linked to Pakistan in any manner, the matter automatically assumes greater significance," CM Sarma said.
(With inputs from IANS)
