Situation and causes

The June 29, 1966 agreement between the revolutionary leadership and the Iraqi government was obstructed by the officers in power. These officers used the group of the former political bureau of the Party, who were residing in Baghdad, against the revolution. This was done by arming their followers and creating centers and headquarters for them in some of the areas where the Peshmerga forces of the revolution were present. Furthermore, the removal of Abd al-Rahman al-Bazzaz from the premiership and the appointment of Tahir Yahya, the new Prime Minister, at the end of August 1967, with a government delegation, visited President Mustafa Barzani and gave many promises to President Barzani regarding the implementation of the June 29 statement and the disarming of the Jash, especially the followers of the old political bureau group.

After a while, it became clear that the government had no intention of disarming the Jash and, on the contrary, they were being further supported by the officers in power and even against the will of the Prime Minister. As a result, fighting broke out between the Jash and the Peshmerga, which led to a cooling of relations between the revolutionary leadership and the government at the beginning of 1968, and subsequently the resumption of fighting on April 15, 1968.

On July 17, 1968, the Ba'ath Party staged a coup against the authority, and Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr became President. The regime reduced direct fighting with the Kurds and began to further encourage and arm the Jash against the revolution. Consequently, the fighting with the Jash escalated. After several battles and clashes, the government's Jash were finally completely defeated on October 18, 1968, and took refuge in government strongholds in Kirkuk.

After the defeats, in September 1969, the government took the initiative to reach an agreement with the revolutionary leadership and sent its delegation to Nawprdan. After several meetings in Baghdad and Nawprdan, and finally after the visit of Saddam Hussein, Vice President of Iraq, to Nawprdan and meeting with President Mustafa Barzani on March 11, 1970, an agreement was signed between the Iraqi Ba'ath government and the revolutionary leadership. The result was the recognition of what the Kurds had started the revolution for, which was the recognition of the political and national rights of the Kurdish people in Kurdistan.

Holding the Congress

After the March 11 Agreement, it was held from July 1 to 6, 1970, in the village of Nawprdan, with the attendance of 488 delegates. Due to the favorable and calm atmosphere, this congress is considered the third congress of the Kurdistan Democratic Party to be held openly. Several delegations from various Iraqi parties participated, including the delegation of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, the delegation of the National Democratic Communist Party, the delegation of the Arab Socialist Movement, the delegation of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the delegation of Kurdish parties from neighboring countries, the delegation of the Kurdish Democratic Party in Lebanon, the delegation of the Kurdish Students Association in Europe, and the United Nations. Among the personalities, Kamaran Bedirkhan was present at the congress.

The congress began with a speech by President Mustafa Barzani , followed by the political report of the Political Bureau of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, which was read in Arabic by Habib Mohammed Karim, the Secretary of the Party. Then, the Central Committee concluded its work at the end of the 8th Congress on July 10, 1970, by issuing a final statement for the media and the delegates.

The structure of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, based on the internal regulations of the 8th Congress, was as follows (cell, organizational committee, internal committee, branch committee, central committee, political bureau, secretary of the central committee, president). Also, the central inspection board was composed of one member of the political bureau and two members of the central committee.

The program and internal regulations were approved by the congress delegates, and President Mustafa Barzani was re-elected as the Party President by unanimous vote, and a new Central Committee was elected for the Party, which consisted of:

  1.  Habib Mohammed Karim, Secretary
  2.  Dr. Mahmoud Osman 
  3.  Idris Barzani
  4.  Masoud Barzani
  5.  Salih Yusifi
  6.  Ali Abdullah 
  7.  Nuri Shaways
  8.   Sami Abdulrahman
  9. Hashim Hassan Akrayi
  10.  Ismail Mela Aziz
  11. Colonel Aziz Akrayi
  12. Fakhir Mergasori
  13. Faris Bawa
  14. Rashid Sindi
  15. Shakib Akrayi
  16. Abdulwahab Atrushi
  17. Ali Qasim Shingali
  18. Dara Tawfiq
  19.  Abdul Suran Qarani
  20. Sadiq Afandi
  21. Zakiya Ismail Haqi

Reserve members of the Central Committee:

  1. Rashid Arif Abdulrahman
  2.  Ali Hajar
  3.  Numan Isa 
  4.  Sheikh Reza Gulani
  5.  Jirjis Fathullah Shammas 
  6.  Mohammed Mela Qadir
  7.  Sha'ban Saeed Mohammed 
  8.  Hamid Barwari
  9.  Qadir Jabari

The Political Bureau was also composed of the following comrades:

  1. Habib Mohammed Karim, Secretary of the Central Committee
  2.  Dr. Mahmoud Osman, Head of the Foreign Relations Committee
  3.  Aziz Akrayi
  4.   Sami Abdulrahman
  5.  Salih Yusifi, head of the Mass Organization Bureau
  6.  Ali Abdullah 
  7.  Nuri Sadiq Shaways

During that same period, the group of the former Political Bureau, who were still working in the name of the Party, held their seventh congress in Baghdad. In the congress, they brought up the issue of dissolving themselves and returning to the ranks of the Party. It was decided by a majority vote to dissolve themselves. Later, through the Fourth Branch of the Party, they contacted Masoud Barzani and asked him to convey their request to President Mustafa Barzani. After President Barzani was informed of their desire, he issued a pardon for them and Jalal Talabani arrived in Haji Omaran on August 7, 1970, where he met with President Barzani. Later, after several meetings, on October 1 of the same year, a general pardon was issued for them by unanimous vote, and they returned to the ranks of the Kurdistan Democratic Party.

Sources:
  1. History of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Congress and Conference (Program and Internal Regulations), Kurdistan Democratic Party Encyclopedia Board, Volume One, (Erbil - Roxana Printing House - 2021).
  2. Archive of the Kurdistan Democratic Party Encyclopedia Board