June 30 passes off with some celebrations in tiny northeast Indian state of Mizoram as the day of peace or Remna Ni but the rest of India takes no notice. That is the day in 1986 that the memorandum of settlement between the Indian government and the separatist Mizo National Front or MNF was signed. The accord brought back peace and tranquility to troubled Mizoram scorched by two decades of bloody insurgency.

The 1986 Mizo accord worked as no other settlement between the federal government and a rebel group has in post -independence India. The once feared guerrillas of MNF returned to normal life and the one-time rebel group won elections and were in power for multiple terms . Only in the recent assembly elections did MNF loose out but it is functioning as a democratic opposition party.

So the 1986 Mizoram accord is seen as a model of peace making and conflict resolution.........

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