Sri Lanka, July 6 -- The Indo-Lanka Peace Accord, signed in Colombo on July 29 1987 by Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President J.R. Jayewardene, remains one of the most consequential-and controversial-agreements in Sri Lanka's modern political history.

Conceived as a framework to end the ethnic conflict, the accord sought to devolve power to the provinces through the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution and the Provincial Councils Act of 1987, while requiring Sri Lankan troops to withdraw to barracks in the North and Tamil militant groups to surrender their arms. Crucially, the agreement also provided for Indian military assistance at Sri Lanka's request, a provision that led to the deployment of the Indian Peac...