Overview

• On July 24, 1985, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Akali Dal president Sant Harchand Singh Longowal signed an 11-point pact covering territorial transfers, water tribunals, commissions on disputes, rehabilitation programs and riot compensation.
• The accord’s commitment to transfer Chandigarh to Punjab by January 26, 1986, never materialized and the Ravi-Beas water tribunal and boundary commissions faced prolonged delays.
• Hardline Sikh factions in Punjab and political leaders in Haryana opposed key clauses, eroding trust and stalling follow-through on the settlement.
• Less than a month after the agreement was inked, Longowal’s assassination by radical elements reignited violence and destabilized the peace process.
• Forty years later, historians and policy analysts characterize the pact as a missed opportunity to address Punjab’s autonomy demands and end its cycle of unrest.