Remembering President Mam Jalal: A Statesman, Leader, and Founding Father of the PUK

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President Mam Jalal and the date of his birth and passing.

Eight years ago today, on 3 October 2017, Former Iraqi President and Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani (Mam Jalal) passed away in Berlin, Germany, at the age of 83.

He had travelled to Germany to receive medical treatment and reportedly slipped into a coma earlier that day. Despite medical efforts, his condition deteriorated rapidly, and he passed away on that Tuesday.

President Jalal Talabani was a historic Kurdish statesman, who served as the sixth President of Iraq and as President of the Iraqi Governing Council (the 39th Prime Minister of Iraq). From 2005 to 2014, he held the office of President of Iraq, becoming the country’s first non-Arab head of state. Affectionately known among the Kurdish people as Mam Jalal—meaning “Uncle Jalal”—he symbolised wisdom, humility, and leadership.

He was the founder and Secretary-General of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and a key member of the Interim Iraqi Governing Council, established after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003. Since the 1960s, Mam Jalal was at the forefront of the struggle for Kurdish rights, democracy, and federalism in Iraq, and he dedicated his life to building coexistence among all communities.

Fluent in Kurdish, Arabic, Persian, and English, Mam Jalal was not only a political leader but also an intellectual and a bridge-builder.

Born in 1933 in Kalkan village, near Koya at the foot of Mount Kosrat overlooking Dukan Lake, Mam Jalal was the son of Sheikh Husamuddin Sheikh Nuri Sheikh Ghafur. His family later moved to Koya, where his father became custodian of the Talabani Shrine (Takiya). From an early age, he displayed remarkable intelligence, leadership, and oratory skills, often chosen to deliver readings at school assemblies. By his teenage years, he was already emerging as a young nationalist voice. At only 13, he delivered a powerful speech during the Nawroz Festival of 1945 in Koya, leaving a deep impression on his community.

In 1946, he founded the Reading Development Association, a student organisation that promoted intellectual engagement beyond the school curriculum. Later, with the establishment of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), he became actively involved in Kurdish political life, contributing writings to its clandestine newspaper under the pseudonym Agir.

By 1947, he had formally joined the KDP, and within a few years rose quickly through its ranks. In the 1950s, he played a pioneering role in both the Kurdish student and youth movements, serving as Secretary-General of the Kurdistan Students Union and co-founding the Kurdistan Youth Union. His early activism led to imprisonment and exile, but he continued his political work with determination, organising structures for Kurdish struggle in Kirkuk, Baghdad, and Sulaymaniyah.

Mam Jalal also became deeply engaged in journalism, contributing under pseudonyms to Kurdish and Arabic newspapers, and later editing several underground publications, ensuring the Kurdish voice was never silenced.

When the Kurdish armed struggle reignited in 1961, he assumed leadership within the Peshmerga, founding the first military base at Chami Rezan. He became a commander in Sulaymaniyah and later General Commander of the Kurdistan Peshmerga forces. His leadership, military strategy, and negotiations with regional and international actors strengthened the Kurdish cause and brought recognition to the legitimate rights of the Kurdish people.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, he travelled across the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe, representing the Kurdish struggle and gaining support from governments, intellectuals, and liberation movements worldwide.

On 6 June 1975, following the collapse of the Kurdish movement after the Algiers Agreement, Mam Jalal, alongside his comrades, co-founded the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in Damascus. Officially declared in 1976, the PUK was established as a progressive, democratic movement committed to Kurdish rights, federalism, and social justice. Mam Jalal was elected Secretary-General and went on to lead the PUK for decades, guiding it through revolution, war, negotiations, and governance.

His role extended beyond Kurdistan: Mam Jalal was instrumental in uniting Iraqi opposition forces, paving the way for the downfall of the Ba’athist regime. After 2003, he became a central figure in Iraq’s new political order. In November 2003, he chaired the Iraqi Governing Council, and in April 2005, he was elected President of Iraq, receiving 227 votes out of 248 in Parliament. In 2010, he was re-elected for a second term, during which he worked tirelessly to safeguard Iraq’s unity, promote dialogue, and prevent conflict.

In December 2012, President Talabani suffered a stroke and was flown to Germany for medical treatment. After more than 18 months of recovery, he returned to Kurdistan in July 2014. He continued to inspire his people until his passing in 2017.

President Jalal Talabani’s legacy lives on as one of the most influential Kurdish and Iraqi leaders of the modern era—a visionary statesman, a tireless advocate for peace, and a unifying figure whose memory continues to guide the PUK and the people of Kurdistan.



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