PUK Bloc Urges Iraqi Presidencies to Cancel Decision Granting Qara Tapa District Status

PUKMEDIA

Iraqi Parliament.

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) bloc, in coordination with other Kurdish blocs in the Iraqi Council of Representatives, is seeking to overturn the Ministry of Planning’s decision to elevate Qaratapa to district status. A PUK MP has warned that the move represents a violation of Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution.

Speaking to PUKMEDIA, Karwan Yarwais, a member of the Iraqi Parliament representing the PUK, stated:
“Qaratapa is one of the areas covered by Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution. No administrative, geographical, or demographic changes may be enacted in such areas until the constitutional article is fully implemented.”

He added, “We have submitted a memorandum—signed by the heads of Kurdish parliamentary blocs and supported by the heads and members of several other blocs, totalling over 105 signatures—to the Iraqi President, Prime Minister, the Presidency of Parliament, and the Ministry of Planning. The memorandum calls for the revocation of the decision to designate Qaratapa as a district.”

Yarwais emphasised that the decision constitutes an unconstitutional act and a flagrant breach of Article 140, noting:
“Qaratapa is a disputed territory between the Kurdistan Region and the federal government. Its administrative and geographical boundaries must not be altered until its status is resolved through constitutional means.”

The so-called “disputed territories,” also referred to as “in-between areas,” include Kirkuk, Sinjar, Tal Afar, Khanaqin, and others. These areas are home to ethnically and religiously diverse communities—Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen—and are rich in oil and gas resources. During the Ba’ath regime, Arabisation policies forcibly displaced Kurdish residents and replaced them with Arab settlers. Article 140 of the Constitution was designed to address these injustices through a process of normalisation, census, and referendum to determine the final status of the territories.

Qaratapa lies on the border of these disputed regions and falls under the provisions of Article 140. It is administratively part of the Kifri district, near Lake Hamrin and approximately 40 kilometres from the centre of Diyala province. Its status remains a politically sensitive and unresolved matter, emblematic of the broader challenges surrounding the implementation of Article 140, which remains legally binding despite repeated delays.

The Iraqi Ministry of Planning recently approved the promotion of Qara Tapa from a sub-district to a full district. The unilateral nature of the decision has triggered strong opposition from the PUK, which is now pursuing legal and parliamentary avenues to challenge what it considers a breach of Iraq’s constitutional framework.



PUKMEDIA