The Assam Cabinet on Sunday directed an enquiry into the activities of Pakistani national Ali Tauqeer Sheikh targeting India and Assam. Notably, in recent weeks, it has been alleged by many that Sheikh has close links with Elizabeth Gogoi, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi’s wife who has allegedly retained her British citizenship even 12 years after the marriage.
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier said that the cabinet would take action on the matter after Ali Tauqeer Sheikh’s comments on social media on India’s internal matters emerged. In the meeting on Sunday in Guwahati, the Assam Cabinet adopted a resolution calling for an investigation on Sheikh’s activities and his accomplices in India.
The Assam Cabinet has directed the Director General of Police (DGP) of Assam to register a case against Ali Sheikh under appropriate provisions of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhtia (BNS) and other relevant laws. Additionally, the Assam Cabinet also directed an extensive inquiry to be conducted to ascertain whether these activities are part of a larger conspiracy and to identify any sympathisers or associates within Assam and across India who may be aiding Mr Sheikh’s Anti India agenda.
The cabinet said that the inquiry may cover the following aspects:
- Investigate the width and depth of Ali Sheikh’s network within the State of Assam and across India
- Examine individuals, organisations and accomplices based in Assam and rest of India who have aided and abetted Mr Ali Sheikh’s actions against India.
- Seek relevant assistance and information from concerned agencies and departments of the Government of India and Government of Assam in the course of the above-mentioned investigation.
The resolution adopted by the cabinet stated:
In recent days multiple news reports, social media posts and other information in the public domain have surfaced regarding certain comments made by a Pakistani national, Mr Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, aimed at disrupting communal harmony in Assam. Additionally, a perusal of his social media activity includes exhaustive commentary on India’s internal affairs and parliamentary matters raising serious concerns on the said individual’s intention to compromise and damage India’s interests.
Closer examination of information from the public domain reveals that Mr Ali Sheikh is an influential individual with pervasive roots in the Government of Pakistan and its leadership, having even represented the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in international forums. It has been brought to the attention of the Assam Cabinet via publicly available information, that Mr Ali Sheikh has even served the Government of Pakistan in several advisory positions and via committees constituted by the Prime Minister of Pakistan. In light of these facts and given the historical attempts of Pakistani state and non-state actors to destabilise Assam, the Government of Assam takes Mr Ali Sheikh’s attempts to interfere in the domestic matters of the State of Assam and the Republic of India with utmost seriousness.
Following a scrutiny of his social media activity and information available in the public domain, it appears that Mr Ali Sheikh has been in contact with Smt Elizabeth Gogoi a British national and the wife of Hon’ble Member of Parliament from Assam, Shri Gaurav Gogoi. Apart from his engagements with Government of Pakistan, Mr Ali Sheikh has also founded LEAD Pakistan a non-profit organisation working in the field of climate change. Smt Elizabeth Gogoi, a British national, was an integral part of LEAD Pakistan during her time spent in Islamabad. Furthermore, both Mr Ali Sheikh and Smt Elizabeth Gogoi, a British National, have been a part of global climate action group called the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) which operates in both India and Pakistan.
The Assam Cabinet notes its concerns regarding the explicit involvement of a Pakistan based leader and other actors of a climate action group in matters concerning India’s internal affairs thereby raising serious questions on its actual intent and operations.
The Assam Cabinet on Sunday directed an enquiry into the activities of Pakistani national Ali Tauqeer Sheikh targeting India and Assam. Notably, in recent weeks, it has been alleged by many that Sheikh has close links with Elizabeth Gogoi, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi’s wife who has allegedly retained her British citizenship even 12 years after the marriage. Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier said that the cabinet will take action on the matter after Ali Tauqeer Sheikh’s comments on social media on India’s internal matters emerged. In the meeting on Sunday in Guwahati, the Assam Cabinet adopted a resolution calling for investigation on Sheikh’s activities and his accomplishes in India. The Assam Cabinet has directed the Director General of Police (DGP) of Assam to register a case against Ali Sheikh under appropriate provisions of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhtia (BNS) and other relevant laws. Additionally, the Assam Cabinet also directed an extensive inquiry to be conducted to ascertain whether these activities are part of a larger conspiracy and to identify any sympathisers or associates within Assam and across India who may be aiding Mr Sheikh’s Anti India agenda. The cabinet said that the inquiry may cover the following aspects: 1. Investigate the width and depth of Ali Sheikh’s network within the State of Assam and across India 2. Examine individuals, organisations and accomplices based in Assam and rest of India who have aided and abetted Mr Ali Sheikh’s actions against India. 3. Seek relevant assistance and information from concerned agencies and departments of the Government of India and Government of Assam in the course of the above-mentioned investigation. The resolution adopted by the cabinet stated: In recent days multiple news reports, social media posts and other information in the public domain have surfaced regarding certain comments made by a Pakistani national, Mr Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, aimed at disrupting communal harmony in Assam. Additionally, a perusal of his social media activity includes exhaustive commentary on India’s internal affairs and parliamentary matters raising serious concerns on the said individual’s intention to compromise and damage India’s interests. Closer examination of information from the public domain reveals that Mr Ali Sheikh is an influential individual with pervasive roots in the Government of Pakistan and its leadership, having even represented the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in international forums. It has been brought to the attention of the Assam Cabinet via publicly available information, that Mr Ali Sheikh has even served the Government of Pakistan in several advisory positions and via committees constituted by the Prime Minister of Pakistan. In light of these facts and given the historical attempts of Pakistani state and non-state actors to destabilise Assam, the Government of Assam takes Mr Ali Sheikh’s attempts to interfere in the domestic matters of the State of Assam and the Republic of India with utmost seriousness. Following a scrutiny of his social media activity and information available in the public domain, it appears that Mr Ali Sheikh has been in contact with Smt Elizabeth Gogoi a British national and the wife of Hon’ble Member of Parliament from Assam, Shri Gaurav Gogoi. Apart from his engagements with Government of Pakistan, Mr Ali Sheikh has also founded LEAD Pakistan a non-profit organisation working in the field of climate change. Smt Elizabeth Gogoi, a British national, was an integral part of LEAD Pakistan during her time spent in Islamabad. Furthermore, both Mr Ali Sheikh and Smt Elizabeth Gogoi, a British National, have been a part of global climate action group called the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) which operates in both India and Pakistan. The Assam Cabinet notes its concerns regarding the explicit involvement of a Pakistan based leader and other actors of a climate action group in matters concerning India’s internal affairs thereby raising serious questions on its actual intent and operations. The resolution added that the Assam Cabinet expects this matter to be pursued with utmost seriousness in the interest of India’s security and sovereignty. “The Assam Cabinet notes that the State of Assam has historically remained a hotspot for ISI sponsored activities, necessitating heightened vigilance and decisive action,” it added.The resolution added that the Assam Cabinet expects this matter to be pursued with utmost seriousness in the interest of India’s security and sovereignty. “The Assam Cabinet notes that the State of Assam has historically remained a hotspot for ISI sponsored activities, necessitating heightened vigilance and decisive action,” it added.
