WASHINGTON DC, USA—Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh breathed his last earlier today. He struggled with the effects of old age over the last few years and had been bed ridden.

Once a research scientist at Boston Medical School ,Dr. Aulakh was known for raising the issues of Sikh Human Rights and the community’s struggle for freedom on an international scale. He was renowned for his relations with US elected Government officials. For quite some time, Dr. Aulakh had become less active due to his old age and ailing health, however, he continued to strive to politically propagate an independent Sikh State.

Dr. Aulakh had made efforts to lobby politicians in the United States. On October 7, 1987, Aulakh and his associates officially declared Khalistan’s independence from India, a sovereign Sikh nation, where he was declared the President by the Panthik Committee (Sarbat Khalsa – Khalsa Panth).

He was a successful lobbyist for Khalistan at Capital Hill , Washington DC. He made headway in cutting US aid to India as a result of his lobbying. He was a very well known face for Congressmen and Senators. As the movement of Khalistan was sabotaged by the Indian government in Punjab, his office was closed and he continued to operate from home.

In a video interview with Living History 1984, Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh appealed to the Sikh youth to continue the struggle for self-determination and sovereignty.

Dr. Aulakh explained the coordination between human rights activists in Punjab and abroad, and the importance of international pressure against impunity in India since the 80s and 90s. In his latter years, he continued to run his office in DC, “…answering the phone day or night, and thus, the movement for independence is alive”, he said.