The PUK wants Kurdish unity in Kirkuk

Kurdistan 10:21 AM - 2023-04-18

Kirkuk.

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) rejected the third amendment to the electoral law and believes that the rights of the Kurds in Kirkuk are being violated; however, the PUK also values the importance of maintaining Kurdish unity in Kirkuk and the disputed areas and has taken several concrete steps in this direction.

Other than the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the Kurdish parties in Kirkuk support the PUK and want to maintain the Kurds' position as Kirkuk's dominant ethnic group.

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) President, Bafel Jalal Talabani, revived the Article 140 committee to defend the rights of ethnic communities. For the sake of stability, security, and the protection of citizen property, particularly in Kirkuk and the disputed areas during the formation of the new Iraqi government, he called for the creation of a joint brigade for those areas to strengthen and increase coordination between the Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi army. The Iraqi Council of Ministers granted the PUK President’s request.  

As a result of the PUK's efforts, the joint brigade has received funding for around 400 personnel in the 2023 budget and will soon begin operations.

Most seats can go to the Kurds in Kirkuk

The Head of the PUK's 2nd organization center in Kirkuk, Rawand Malla Mahmoud, told PUKMEDIA: "We want the Kurds to run on a single list for the parliamentary and provincial council elections, and we will meet with political parties to discuss this matter in the coming days. However, the KDP is the only political party that has not participated in any of our meetings so far."

According to Mahmoud, the Kurds may garner the most votes and gain the most seats if all Kurdish parties run on a single list.

The Kurds are still at the national liberation stage

Kirkuk and the disputed areas have long been essential components of Kurdistan, and unity in these areas will guarantee Kurdish rights within a united Iraq and a federal region.

Hiwa Rash, Head of the PUK's 17th organization center in Kirkuk, told PUKMEDIA that the Kurds would never abandon the sensitive issue of Kirkuk and the disputed areas and that in order to stop injustice and violence against the Kurds in those areas, Kurdish unity, and consensus are required.

"It is clear that the PUK has taken several initiatives for unity in Kirkuk in order to democratically ensure all Kurdish rights in these areas within a united Iraq and a federal region, but regrettably, some parties, especially the KDP, have come up less on issues that benefit our nation. As a result, the Kurds are still in the national liberation stage," he added.

The Kurds' unity secures Kurdish rights in Iraq

The PUK has officially urged the political parties to come together and create a joint list because it believes that the Kurdish unity in Kirkuk would be crucial for the upcoming parliamentary and provincial council elections, which will likely take place soon.

"Since the beginning, the PUK has recognized the value of unity, particularly in regions with a mix of ethnic groups. President Mam Jalal has consistently fought for the unification of our people both inside and outside the region, and this is his program and course. Even after the liberation process, the PUK has urged the Kurds to vote using a single list," said Avesta Sheikh Mohammed, head of the PUK's 18th organization center in eastern Kirkuk.

"The PUK has formally requested that political parties come together and create a joint list to win the process because this is a significant subject that should not be discouraged by narrow party thinking," he said. "Unfortunately, a Kurdish party does not favor Kurdish consensus." "They are putting obstacles in our way in the crucial and pivotal Kirkuk provincial election, and they are prioritizing the interests of their party over those of our nation," he added.

The PUK considers itself the owner of Kirkuk

The PUK sees Kurdish unification in Kirkuk and these territories as the first and ultimate resolution to all issues since it believes it is the rightful owner of the disputed areas.

"The PUK considers itself the owner of the disputed areas and has always offered a hand of collaboration and consensus to all parties in order to accomplish the rights of our people under the Constitution," Mohammed said.

He added, "The KDP has never taken a position where its power and voice are limited, and it has never advocated for the disputed areas, including Kirkuk."

The PUK faction in the Iraqi parliament abstained from voting for the third amendment to the electoral legislation because it would deny the Kurds in the disputed Kurdish regions of Kirkuk the right to vote. The names of the relocated Arabs will nevertheless remain, as the old dictatorial regime brought them to these places and settled them during the Arabization process, causing grave harm to the Kirkuki Kurds.

PUKMEDIA has a copy of the 1957 census, which shows that Kurds made up 48.3% of Kirkuk's population between 1957 and 1977, followed by Arabs (28.1%), Turkmen (21.4%), Chaldeans (0.4%), and others (1.7%). However, in 1977, the Arab part increased to 44.4%, while the Kurdish portion fell to 37.6%.

 

PUKMEDIA