Gurmit Singh Aulakh

In this fascinating interview about post-84 Sikh diaspora activism, Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh recounts how his life changed from scientist, working at Harvard University on prestigious research grants, to a full-time lobbyist in the halls of US Congress. He remembers his efforts in asking for sanctions against India for the 84 and post-84 massacres of Sikhs, demanding respect for human rights including that to self-determination, supporting Sikh independence in the form of Khalistan. He explains the coordination between human rights activists in Punjab and outside, and the importance of international pressure against impunity in India in the 80s and 90s. In his older years, he continues to run his office in DC, “answering the phone day or night, and thus, the movement for independence is alive…” he says.