What were the effects of the Indo-Sri Lanka Peace Accord?

The Indo-Sri Lanka Peace Accord led to the deployment of Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) and escalated the Sri Lankan Civil War.

The Indo-Sri Lanka Peace Accord was signed in July 1987 between Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President J.R. Jayewardene. The agreement was intended to resolve the ongoing Sri Lankan Civil War between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a militant group fighting for a separate Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka. The accord proposed to give Tamil-majority areas a degree of autonomy and aimed to ensure the rights of the Tamil minority.

One of the immediate effects of the accord was the deployment of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka. The IPKF was tasked with maintaining peace and ensuring the implementation of the accord. However, the presence of the IPKF was controversial and led to an escalation of violence. The LTTE, which initially agreed to the accord, soon resumed its armed struggle against the Sri Lankan government and the IPKF. This led to a full-blown conflict between the IPKF and the LTTE, causing significant casualties on both sides.

The accord also had political implications. It was met with widespread protests in Sri Lanka, particularly in the Sinhalese-majority south, where it was seen as an infringement on Sri Lanka's sovereignty. This led to a political crisis and a resurgence of Sinhalese nationalism, which further complicated the ethnic tensions in the country. In India, the accord and the subsequent involvement of the IPKF in the Sri Lankan Civil War were also controversial and led to a decline in the popularity of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

In the long term, the Indo-Sri Lanka Peace Accord failed to achieve its main objective of resolving the Sri Lankan Civil War. The war continued for more than two decades after the signing of the accord, only ending in 2009 with the defeat of the LTTE by the Sri Lankan government. The accord, however, did lead to some changes in the political landscape of Sri Lanka, including the establishment of provincial councils and the recognition of Tamil as an official language.