Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday demanded a “transparent explanation” from Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi regarding his 2013 visit to Rawalpindi district in Pakistan, asserting that his visa explicitly permitted travel only to Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad.
Sarma, in a post on X, said Pakistan’s immigration rules do not allow travel beyond visa-designated cities without prior authorisation. The Chief Minister’s remarks followed a press conference in which Gogoi said he had visited Takshashila (Taxila) in Pakistan with his wife, having obtained due permission.
“Takshashila 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?” Sarma asked.
Also read: Assam CM ‘inciting genocide' against Muslims, alleges Gogoi
“So the question is simple, factual, and legitimate: Who facilitated his movement to Takshashila despite the apparent absence of visa clearance for Rawalpindi District?” he added. The Chief Minister noted that the matter gains significance as Pakistan Army’s General Headquarters is located in Rawalpindi and said the circumstances warranted “a clear and transparent explanation.”
Sarma and Gogoi have been engaged in a prolonged verbal duel, with the Chief Minister alleging that Gogoi and his family have Pakistani links. Gogoi maintained that his wife visited Pakistan for work in 2013, and he accompanied her on a ten-day trip in December of that year. He also reiterated that all travel was with proper permission.
The controversy comes amid a broader political row in Assam, with Gogoi recently accusing Sarma of “inciting genocide” against Muslims through a now-deleted video circulated on social media.
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