Fahmi Burhan: District Status Change of Jalawla Is Unconstitutional

PUKMEDIA

Fahmi Burhan, Chairman of the General Board of Kurdistani Areas Outside the Region.

The General Board of Kurdistani Areas Outside the Region has expressed strong opposition to the reported change in the administrative status of the disputed Jalawla sub-district into a district without joint approval from both the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Federal Government in Baghdad.

In a statement, Fahmi Burhan, Chairman of the General Board, said that altering Jalawla’s administrative designation without mutual agreement constitutes another attempt to alter the demographic composition of Kurdish areas.

He stressed that such a move contravenes the general principles of Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution, which outlines the mechanism for resolving the status of disputed territories.

Burhan described the unilateral decision as a clear indication of a lack of serious commitment to the Constitution and to mutual understanding between Erbil and Baghdad. He warned that the failure of Kurdish representatives in Baghdad to prevent such measures could lead to further deterioration and heightened risks.

Jalawla is a part of the areas disputed between the Erbil and Baghdad. 

The disputed territories, which extend across the provinces of Diyala Governorate, Kirkuk Governorate, Nineveh Governorate and Saladin Governorate, are widely recognised as areas in which the former Iraqi Ba’ath regime pursued systematic Arabisation policies — a central factor underlying the ongoing disputes.

Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution was specifically drafted to address the status of the territories disputed between Erbil and Baghdad. However, the article has yet to be fully implemented.



PUKMEDIA